


Evil Inherited

by NedsBrownEyes (KTMcGivens)



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Canon Compliant, Car Accident, Evil, F/M, Family, Friendship, Happy Ending, Investigation, Kidnapping, Letters, Love, Mental Illness, Mysteries, Poison, Police, Ransom Notes, Revenge, Suspense, Threats, Thriller, Victims, suspects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-10-25 02:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 30,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17715920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KTMcGivens/pseuds/NedsBrownEyes
Summary: Someone is out to seek revenge against Nancy Drew.  Can she solve the mystery before everyone she loves becomes a victim of this evil plot?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Playing homage to the wonderful original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories with a bit of Nancy Drew Files thrown in.

“Hannah, I’m home!” called Nancy, as she dropped her bag just inside the door and walked through the hallway and into the kitchen. “Hannah?”

The housekeeper was not in the kitchen or outside in the garden. In fact, there was no sign of her anywhere in the house.

“How strange,” murmured Nancy, shaking her titian-blond hair, “she knew I would be coming home today.” Nancy had been away working on a case in New York. It had involved discovering the true ownership of a priceless painting, a missing will, and a case of mistaken identity. The case had been complicated, and a bit dangerous, but she had been able to enlist the aid of her boyfriend, Ned Nickerson. After solving the case, she and Ned had stayed a few days longer, enjoying the city and each other’s company. 

With Nancy’s busy schedule and Ned at Emerson, they didn’t have a chance to see each other as much as they would have liked so the case in New York had been a rare treat. Even now, though it had only been minutes since he dropped her off at her home and kissed her goodbye, she already missed him.

“I guess Hannah must have gone shopping,” she thought to herself, picking up her bag and climbing the stairs to her bedroom. She was halfway up the staircase when she heard scratching and whimpering at the front door. Puzzled, Nancy opened it to find Togo, her terrier, standing at the door, looking up at her. He was covered in mud and held up one of his front paws. 

“Togo! My goodness, where have you been?” asked Nancy, scooping up the little dog and carrying him inside. “You’re a mess. What have you been chasing?” Further examination of his paw revealed that it might be broken. Trying to decide whether to give him a bath first before taking him to the Veterinarian or bring the poor animal there immediately, Nancy decided on the later and, with Togo still in her arms, she walked briskly to her car and drove over to the Vet’s office.

Fortunately, the office was not busy and Dr. Spencer was able to see Togo after only a few minutes wait.

“Togo, you rascal,” said the doctor, “what have you gotten yourself into this time?” she asked as she examined the little dog, “you look as though you’ve been in quite a fight.”

Togo gave a yelp when Dr. Spencer gently touched his right side. “Nancy,” said the vet, “I believe that Togo’s been kicked. I won’t be sure until I take a few X-rays but, at the very least, there’s bruising on several of his ribs.”

Nancy was shocked. “I can’t imagine what happened. When I arrived home an hour ago, I found him scratching and whimpering at our front door. I can’t understand why he was outside. Hannah wasn’t home so I didn’t have a chance to ask her.”

Twenty minutes later, Dr. Spencer had taken the X-rays and was able to report that Togo had no broken bones, but his ribs were badly bruised as if someone had given him a hard kick and his paw showed indications of having been stepped on.

“This little guy is very lucky,” said the Vet to Nancy as she gently patted the dog. “But he’s going to be very sore for several days. Try to keep him as quiet as possible and give him these pills, twice a day, to help ease the pain. Please call me immediately if his condition worsens.”

Nancy nodded and thanked the Vet. As she got into her car and gently settled Togo in the passenger seat beside her, her anger rose. Who would dare injure a defenseless animal! To kick and step on Togo! She was furious. The first thing she would do, upon returning home, would be to ask Hannah if she had any information. 

When Nancy found that Hannah had not returned home, she gently bathed Togo, wrapped him in his favorite blanket, and placed him in his bed. She stroked his head until he fell soundly asleep. She was unpacking her bag, twenty minutes later, when the phone rang and she heard her father’s gentle voice on the other end of the line.

“Nancy?”, he said, “is Hannah there?”

“No, Dad,” Nancy replied, “Hannah’s not at home. Is there something I can do for you?”

There was a pause as Carson Drew took a deep breath. “Nancy, I need you to come down to my office immediately. I believe that something terrible has happened.”

“Can you tell me anything now?” asked Nancy, balancing the phone receiver on her shoulder as she slipped on her coat and glanced around for her purse.

“A note was slipped under my office door this morning. We don’t know exactly when it arrived because neither my secretary or I took notice of it. It’s a ransom note. Apparently, Hannah has been kidnapped!”

“Oh, no!” cried Nancy, “I’m on my way, Dad! Have you called the police?”

“Yes, they’re on their way,” replied her father. “I’ll see you shortly.”

As Nancy drove to her father’s office, her heart was in her throat. Hannah had been with the Drews for as long as Nancy could remember. She was only three when her mother died, and Hannah, the Drew’s housekeeper, had helped raise the little girl as if she were her own. Hannah had been the one to take care of Nancy’s scraped knees and elbows, cared for her through colds and other illnesses, dried her tears, and given her advice and guidance. Along with her father, Hannah worried when Nancy was working on cases and often would stay up late waiting for her safe return home. And, like Carson Drew, Hannah had taken an immediate liking to Ned Nickerson and had encouraged Nancy’s relationship with the handsome young man. 

Nancy loved Hannah and she wasn’t going to stand for anything happening to her. 

Mr. Drew was pacing when Nancy rushed through to his private inner office. He silently handed her the ransom note and Nancy studied it closely. It was written on nice stationary, which was somewhat surprising, and in block letters to disguise the handwriting. 

“We have Hannah Gruen. She will not be harmed if you follow our instructions. Do not contact the police. Further instructions to appear in tomorrow’s newspaper want ads.”

It was signed, “Doubles.”

“Is there an envelope, Dad?” Nancy queried. 

Her father shook his head, no. “The note was folded in three and slid under the door,” he added. 

Nancy studied the stationary. It was from a box set that usually included a pen and envelopes. Unfortunately, it was a common brand that could be bought in any store that carried stationary. She then looked at the ink. It was black and from a common ballpoint pen that was different from the one found in the set.

“This is no good at all,” she sighed. “I can’t see anything unique about this note.”

“Precisely why the kidnapper chose this method.” Carson Drew said softly. “He or she will now continue their demands using the newspaper, making it even harder to trace.”

“There is always a key to the puzzle, Dad. We just have to find it!” she replied. At that moment the police entered the room. They listened intently as Mr. Drew explained how he came in possession of the note. 

“So, let me get this straight,” asked one of the officers, “Mrs. Gruen is your housekeeper, correct?”

“Yes,” answered Nancy.

“Does she have any rich relatives? Or, perhaps her husband is due to inherit some money?” the officer asked.

“No, Hannah has no rich relatives and her husband died years ago,” replied Mr. Drew.

“I guess we’re just trying to understand why someone would kidnap a housekeeper?” said a second officer, who was studying the ransom note, “surely, there’s no guarantee that you would pay a ransom for her? Why not kidnap a family member like your daughter here.”

Carson and Nancy stood for a moment and stared at the two officers. Finally, Nancy said, “Hannah IS a member of our family. She is extremely important to us!”

“And I’m sure that you will give this case your upmost attention,” said Carson, “just like you do all the others.”

“Yes, sir,” said the officers, in unison. “Of course.”

Nancy took a photograph of the letter before the police took it with them and then dropped the roll of film off at a friend of her fathers who had a dark room and could develop the pictures quickly. He promised Nancy that he would enlarge the photo and have it ready for her by the next day.

Nancy followed her father’s car home. They silently went inside the house, heavy hearted with the knowledge that Hannah would not be there to greet them.

Togo seemed to be feeling better and Nancy carried him downstairs and fed him his dinner. Mr. Drew noticed that the little dog was limping.

“What’s wrong with Togo,” he asked, as he dropped some bread into the toaster and started to scramble some eggs.

“When I returned home this afternoon, I found him outside covered in mud. He was holding his paw up so I took him over to Dr. Spencer and she said…..,” suddenly Nancy stopped.

“She said?” asked Mr. Drew, looking at his daughter.

“Oh, Dad!” Nancy exclaimed, “why didn’t I think about this sooner?”

“What, exactly, are you talking about, dear daughter?”

“Togo! Dr. Spencer thinks that someone stepped on his paw and kicked him in the ribs!” Nancy explained, “I believe that Togo was trying to protect Hannah from her kidnappers and, in the process, they hurt him.” 

“Well, now, you might have something there!” replied her father, spooning the eggs on plates for he and Nancy while his daughter grabbed the toast and butter. As they sat down to eat, Nancy looked over to her pet and said softly, “Oh, Togo, if only you could tell us who did this to you. And who took Hannah?”

But all Togo could do was to look up at her and wag his tail.

Later that evening, Nancy told Ned about Hannah’s kidnapping. She and her father had done a thorough search of the house but, other than the injuries to Togo, they could find no clues.

“There is one clue to consider,” said Ned, his deep masculine voice flowing gently through the phone receiver.

“And what’s that?” asked Nancy.

“Whoever took Hannah must know you and your father well,” replied Ned. “They must know that Hannah means a lot to you or they won’t have bothered.”

“You’re right, Ned,” answered Nancy, thoughtfully, as she mulled over the case. “They would know that we would do whatever we could to get her back!”

“How much money are they asking for?” asked Ned.

“We don’t know yet,” answered Nancy, “they’re suppose to give us further instructions through the newspaper.”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to wait until tomorrow’s paper comes out,” Ned said, and then added, “there’s one thing I can’t figure out.”

“What’s that?” asked Nancy.

“Why would the kidnappers tangle with Togo? Wouldn’t it have been easier just to snatch Hannah when she was away from the house?”, questioned Ned, “It seems like an unnecessary risk. I mean, he is a little dog, but I surely wouldn’t want to go up against him!”

“Ned! You’re a genius!” suddenly exclaimed Nancy.

“I am?” responded Ned.

“Yes!” said Nancy, excitedly. “YOU won’t tangle with Togo because you know that he exists.”

“I don’t understand…” began Ned, but Nancy continued, “you know that I have a dog and that the animal would be home with Hannah. But, what if the kidnappers didn’t?”

“Togo would have surprised them!” said Ned, finally comprehending.

“Exactly! They would not have been prepared to handle a dog,” said Nancy. “If Togo’s injuries are from Hannah’s kidnappers, it possibly proves two things.”

“And, what are those?” asked Ned.

“That Hannah was kidnapped from this house,” she said, “and her attackers don’t know us as well as we first thought.”


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Nancy and her father studied every page of the want ads in detail. At first neither of them could find anything out of the ordinary. Then, on the very bottom of page three, in tiny print, was an ad for face cream. “Let Dr. Felix’s amazing cream give you incredible results in less than 10 days. We can turn your face from this to this!” The ad included “before and after” pictures featuring two women’s faces. The “before” photo was of Hannah and the “after” was of a famous movie actress.

“Oh, Dad!” exclaimed Nancy, “it’s Hannah! This must be the note from the kidnappers.” As Carson Drew continued to look at the advertisement, Nancy raced up to her room returning moments later with a magnifying glass. She used it to study Hannah’s picture.

“This looks like an older picture of her,” remarked Mr. Drew.

“Yes, I remember it,” answered Nancy. “It was taken about three years ago at the Annual Flower Show when Hannah won second place for her blue violets. It was published in the paper.”

“The ad says to contact the newspaper for more information, and use the code word wrinkles,” said Mr. Drew. “Let’s go down to the paper right now and see what we can find out.”

The Drews were well known at the River Heights Gazette. Not only were Nancy and her father mentioned in the society pages, but Nancy often did research in the paper’s archives when working on cases.

“Nancy, here’s an envelope addressed to you from the ad folks,” said Mr. Peterson. “It’s curious that they would address this specifically to you. It’s as if they already knew that you’d be coming in today!”

Nancy anxiously took the envelope and began to carefully open it. “I must say, though, that you’d be the last person that would ever need face cream,” chuckled Mr. Peterson, as he walked away. “You’re as pretty as a movie star already!” 

Mr. Drew looked over Nancy’s shoulder as she gently unfolded the note. It was of the same high-quality stationary but, this time, the letters were cut out of magazines and glued to the paper. There was no attempt to line them up neatly and it took Nancy and her father a moment to read the note correctly.

“Drop an envelope containing $5,000 in small unmarked bills in the green wooden birdhouse hanging from the large oak by the gazebo in River Heights central park. No funny business or Mrs. Gruen dies.”

“I know exactly the oak tree they’re referring too,” said Nancy to her father. She looked down to hide the fact that she was blushing as she recalled the memory of a certain evening with Ned. Several years ago, when they had first started dating, she and Ned had stopped on the way back from the movie theater to sit in the gazebo. Taking advantage of being half hidden by the tree, Ned, somewhat nervously, had suddenly leaned over and kissed her for the very first time. She had been turning to look at him, and laughing at something he had said, was caught by surprise by the kiss. She could remember to this day how his lips had felt against her own, sending shivers down her spine and making her toes tingle. She would never forget the look of love she saw in his soft brown eyes when their lips finally parted. It was at that very moment, in that very place, that she knew that Ned Nickerson would be the love of her life. In the years since, they often sat there to talk privately, cuddle, or exchange more kisses. It had become their “special place”.

Now it took on a very different meaning.

“You know, although I really hate to say this,” started Mr. Drew, “but I wonder why the kidnappers are asking for so little? Surely, they must know that I’d pay more than $5,000 for Hannah’s life? It seems very odd.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” agreed Nancy. “This could be a way to test us. To see if you’d actually make a payment at all.”

“Or this could be the first in a series of installments,” added Carson Drew.

“Or they just need “get-away” money because they may have already harmed or…..” Nancy could not finish her sentence.

“No, I think they would have asked for much more if Hannah was not going to be returned to us,” Mr. Drew tried to assure his daughter. “After all, they’d be facing much worse criminal charges than kidnapping if Hannah has been harmed.”

As Nancy tentatively nodded her head in agreement, he added, “this is most likely proof that Hannah is unharmed. We must continue to believe that.”

Nancy called over to Mr. Peterson who returned to the counter.

“Mr. Peterson, may I ask you a few questions,” asked Nancy. When the newspaperman nodded, she continued, “do you know when this envelope was delivered to the paper?”

“Why, this morning,” he stroked his chin and then said, “about two hours ago, I’d say.”

“Do you know who delivered it?” asked Nancy.

“Well, yes, a young lady dropped it off. I was here working over at my desk when she came in and asked young Joe if we had an envelope in which she could place this note.”

“So, this is one of the newspaper’s envelopes?” confirmed Nancy.

“Yes. Joe handed her the envelope and she slipped the note inside, sealed it, and handed it back to him,” Mr. Peterson thought for a moment and then said, “she said, if anyone asks for information about face cream and uses the code word “wrinkles”, please tell them that we’ve sold out. But, if Nancy Drew comes in, give her this envelope. This should only be given to Nancy Drew. Do you understand? And when Joe told her that he understood, she thanked him and left.”

Nancy became excited about this new revelation. “Did you recognize the lady?”

“No,” answered Mr. Peterson. “I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen her before. But she was wearing a large floppy hat that hid her face, so I may be mistaken.”

“What else was she wearing?” asked Mr. Drew

“Well, sir,” Mr. Peterson replied, “she had on a large grey coat and boots. I remembered thinking that she’ll get mighty hot in that getup because it’s been a warm day today.”

“Is there anything else about her appearance that you can tell us,” asked Nancy, “it’s extremely important that we find this young woman.”

“She had long bright red hair,” he said, “she won’t be hard to find with that hair. She’ll stand out in a crowd!”

“Are you going to pay the ransom, Dad?” Nancy asked as she and her father left the building. 

“I don’t know, Nancy,” replied Mr. Drew. “As a general rule, I’m opposed to paying any ransom as it doesn’t always ensure the release of the hostage. But, of course, this is Hannah we’re talking about. Still, there is something very peculiar about this case, Nancy.”

“Yes, I agree,” responded his daughter, although she didn’t want to think what might happen to Hannah if they didn’t pay.

“Well, it’s entirely up to you, Mr. Drew,” said Chief McGinnis. Nancy and her father had driven over to the River Heights police station to show them the ransom note. “Of course, they could do harm to Hannah Gruen if you don’t pay.”

“Or they could be bluffing,” replied Carson Drew. “There’s something wrong with the amount of the ransom.”

Nancy had sat quietly for several moments until a thought suddenly occurred to her. Jumping up from her chair, she said, “what if this isn’t about money?”

“What do you mean, Nancy?” asked her father.

“Oh, they probably want the money, but what if revenge is their main motive?” she said, thoughtfully.

“Revenge?” said both men in unison.

“Yes. Revenge,” responded Nancy. “Dad, you and I both have enemies. The kidnappers may have an ax to grind with one, or both, of us. Perhaps, in taking Hannah, they are sending us a message.”

“I hope you don’t mind my saying this,” added Chief McGinnis, “but, if it is revenge, then taking your housekeeper may only be the beginning.”

“Death by a thousand cuts,” mused Mr. Drew.

“Yes,” said the Chief.

“Well, then,” responded Carson. “if this is only the beginning, more of the people we love might be in jeopardy.”

Nancy’s thoughts immediately went to Ned, Bess, and George. Would her friends be next?

“So, what do we do about Hannah?” Nancy asked.

“I think that you should go ahead and pay the ransom,” replied the Chief. “It may give us a chance to nab these culprits before anybody else gets hurt!”

The Drews had to agree. It was the only option they really had. “We’ll post officers around the ransom drop site and arrest anyone who shows up to collect it.”

“Is that wise?” said Carson, “what if your men are seen?”

“I can assure you that we’re very good at this type of thing,” said Chief McGinnis, “we won’t be seen.”

Carson Drew looked at Nancy. After a moment, Nancy nodded, yes. “OK, Chief,” Mr. Drew said, “I’ll go to the bank today and withdraw the money. I truly hope you’re right.”

“I think that I should write a reply to the ad in the newspaper just so that the kidnappers know that we’ll pay the ransom to get Hannah back safely,” Nancy added, softly. “Carefully worded, of course.”

That afternoon, Nancy called the newspaper office to request that they place the following announcement.

“Saw your ad for Dr. Felix’s face cream and am placing an order. Payment in full. Look forward to the product being delivered promptly. Signed N.D.”

“So, now you just wait?” asked Ned, later that evening. He had called Nancy a little earlier than usual to get an update on Hannah.

“Yes,” she answered, “Dad delivered the ransom payment about two hours ago and we’ve been waiting ever since. Ned, I’m just about to go crazy waiting!”

“I know it must be tough,” agreed Ned, “especially for a woman of action, like you! Gosh, I wish I was there with you, now. I’d find a way to occupy your time and take your mind off things.”

“Are you flirting with me, Ned Nickerson?” asked Nancy, in a somewhat exasperated tone, although she couldn’t help but blush.

“Yes, sorry,” replied Ned, “bad timing. I just can’t help myself, Nancy. I love you so very much.”

Nancy sighed. How is it that he could always do this to her? Make her feel so special no matter what was happening around her. 

“I love you too, Ned,” she said, “I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”

“Well, that’s good, because you’ll never find out!” chuckled Ned, “You’re stuck with me!”

“Which reminds me,” Nancy replied, “Ned, I’m glad that you’re NOT here right now.”

“Really?” said Ned, sadly. “Why not? Don’t you want to see me?”

“It’s not like that!” explained Nancy, quickly, “Of course I want to see you. I miss you. But, at this moment, you’re safer up at Emerson. We think that the kidnapping of Hannah may be the beginning of some sort of vendetta. Someone may be out to hurt the people closest to Dad and me in order to seek revenge about a past case.”

“Wow,” replied Ned. “O.K, well, I’m not afraid of a couple of kidnappers but I don’t want to add to your worries. However, they better not do anything to harm you, Nancy, or I’ll be in River Heights before anyone can stop me!”

“My hero,” joked Nancy, although she truly hoped that he would stay out of harm’s way.

Their phone call continued into the wee hours of the morning. Nancy had a separate private phone line in her bedroom so wasn’t worried that the police would not be able to get through with information about Hannah. Still, she kept listening for their main phone line to ring or for a knock at the door. Finally, as the clock struck 2:00am, she said goodnight to Ned and hung up the phone.

Disappointed that no word of Hannah had come, she walked downstairs to wait in the Drew living room, only to find her father there. He had fallen asleep in his reading chair with a law book on his lap. It was apparent that he had also been waiting for news of Hannah.

Nancy gently removed the book from his lap and placed it on the side table. Walking over to the couch, she laid down, pulling the comforter that hung along its back, over her. Despite her anxiousness, she soon fell fast asleep.

It was 4:30am when father and daughter were awakened by a loud banging on the front door.

“What?” mumbled Carson Drew, half asleep.

“What?” muttered Nancy, waking suddenly, and then shouting “Dad! The door!”

She jumped up from the couch, untangling herself from the comforter as she ran to the front door. Carson Drew was right behind her. The first thing Nancy saw, when she flung it open, were two uniformed police officers. She then realized that someone was standing between them, being held up with assistance.

“Hannah!” exclaimed Nancy, as the housekeeper fell into her outstretched arms.

“Hannah!” said Mr. Drew, as he wrapped his arms around both women as they held onto each other. “I don’t believe it!”


	3. Chapter 3

“I can’t really tell you what happened,” said Hannah, as she sat down on the couch and ran a hand over her rumpled hair.

The officers handed the housekeeper over to the care of Nancy and her father with the understanding that a police detective would come by later that day to take Hannah’s statement. They did explain that, while watching the ransom drop site, they saw a woman walk around the corner of a nearby building, cross the street and enter the park, retrieve the envelope from the oak tree, and then sit down in the gazebo and wait. Thinking it was a trick, officers waited about 15 minutes before carefully approaching the woman only to find out it was Hannah.

“I was told by my captors to get the envelope and wait in the gazebo for further instructions. They said that they had a gun aimed at me the entire time and would shoot me if I didn’t do exactly what I’d been told,” explained Hannah, exhausted and nearly in tears. “I didn’t really care what happened to me, but they also told me that after they shot me, they would come to the house and kill you, Nancy, and I wasn’t going to let that happen!”

“Please don’t worry, Hannah,” said Nancy softly, “apparently this was all a trick, or they won’t have had you be the one to retrieve the envelope.”

“That’s right, Hannah,” agreed Mr. Drew, “this was perhaps their way of releasing you without exposing themselves to possible capture.”

As the officers bid Hannah and the Drews goodnight, one of them whispered something in Carson Drew’s ear. Mr. Drew nodded and shook the officer’s hand and then shut the door quietly behind them.

“Hannah, what can I get you?” asked Nancy, turning her full attention to the housekeeper. “Would you like some warm milk or a cup of tea?”

“No, thank you, Nancy,” responded Hannah, “that’s very sweet of you. But what I’d really like to do is take a quick bath and fall asleep in my own bed. I’m exhausted!”

“Of course, Hannah! Do you need my help?” 

“No. Now don’t fuss over me,” said Hannah, as Nancy helped her stand up from the couch, “I’ll be right as rain after a few hours sleep. Don’t worry! It takes more then a couple of amateur ruffians to frighten ol’ Hannah Gruen!”

Nancy and her father chuckled at Hannah’s comments although neither of them truly believed that the housekeeper had come out of her ordeal unscathed. However, they knew that Hannah would be better able to tell her story after some sleep.

“Oh, my goodness!” Hannah exclaimed suddenly, “I almost forgot.” She reached inside her dress pocket, pulled out the ransom envelope, and carefully handed it to Mr. Drew. And then she silently and slowly made her way to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. 

“She’ll be OK after a while,” sighed Carson Drew, “she’s a strong, proud woman but it will take some time for her to recover.”

Nancy nodded reluctantly. “Dad, do you think we’ll be safe in the house? After all, the culprits know where we live. They might try something, again. Maybe I should stay up and act as a look-out.”

“There’s no need, Nancy,” her father replied, “Chief McGinnis has had an officer secretly guarding our house since yesterday. The officers who brought Hannah just confirmed that they will continue to guard the house until I feel that it’s no longer necessary!”

“Dad, you think of everything!” Nancy exclaimed, patting her father on the cheek. “What do you make of the envelope? Is all of the money still there?”

Mr. Drew quickly lifted out the contents of the envelope and counted the money. “Yes, it’s all here. Looks like it was never touched.”

“That’s very odd,” Nancy said, thoughtfully. 

“Very odd, indeed!” answered her father, a worried look on his face.

The members of the Drew household felt better after several hours of sleep and were just finishing their lunch when two police detectives came to interview Hannah.

“It all happened suddenly,” started Hannah, and she paused to collect her thoughts. “I remember leading the gas furnace inspector down the hallway toward the cellar door. We were chatting about Prairie Wildflowers and the young man was telling me that he had just passed a field of them. And I remember saying. “my, that must have been a beautiful sight, or something like that, and then everything went black.”

“Did you faint or feel a blow to your head?” prompted Detective O’Malley. 

“No,” replied Hannah, “it was nothing like that.”

“Are you prone to fainting spells, Mrs. Gruen?”

“Indeed not!” exclaimed Hannah, indignantly.

“Did you smell a sweet aroma just before everything went black?” asked Nancy softly, “Please try and remember, Hannah, it’s very important.”

Hannah smiled at her surrogate daughter, collected herself, and replied, “well let’s see. Yes, I believe I did!”

Nancy continued, “Did you think it might be possible that someone clasped a handkerchief over your mouth just before you smelled the scent?”

“Hummm, yes, I suppose that’s possible.” Hannah said, thoughtfully, “but it’s really hard for me to remember. Everything happened so quickly.”

The two detectives, sensing that Nancy would most likely get more information out of the housekeeper then they would, remained silent, letting Nancy take over the questioning.

“Hannah, was Togo barking?”

“Why yes!” exclaimed Hannah, “he didn’t seem to like the fact that the inspector was in the house. I tried telling Togo that the poor man just needed to check the gas but his barking became so loud that I had to excuse myself for a moment to set him out in the backyard. I know that you don’t like it when Togo is outside, alone, but he became so aggressive toward the young man that I feared Togo would bite him!” She looked from Nancy to the detectives as she added, “I really didn’t know what had gotten into him.”

“Can you tell us what the young inspector looked like?” asked Nancy.

“Oh, Nancy, surely you don’t suspect him,” responded Hannah, “he was such a pleasant young man. Very understanding when it came to Togo.”

“Hannah, that pleasant young man is our kidnapper!” exclaimed Nancy.

“What makes you say that?” asked Detective O’Malley.

“Because we don’t have a gas furnace. Ours is electric. There is no need for an inspection,” said Nancy, rather emphatically.

Hannah gasped. “Oh, dear!” she exclaimed, “Nancy, you’re right! What a fool I’ve been!”

“It’s not your fault, Hannah.” said Carson Drew, with reassurance. “These kidnappers seem pretty tricky. Please tell us what the young man looked like.”

Hannah thought for a moment and then said, “he was young, around his early to mid-twenties. He had dark hair. Could have been either black or brown. It’s hard to say because he wore a cap. He wore sunglasses, which I thought was a bit odd, because he kept them on even after he entered the house.”

“Was he clean shaven or did he have a beard?” asked Detective Brown.

“He had a mustache. A bushy one that curled down at the corners of his mouth.” Hannah answered.

From the sound of it, Nancy began to suspect that the “inspector” was wearing a disguise. “How tall was he, do you think Hannah?” she asked.

“Oh, about the height of Detective Brown here,” answered the housekeeper.

When everyone looked over at the detective, he said, “I’m 5 feet 11 inches, does that seem about right, ma’am?” When Hannah nodded, he added, “was he wearing a suit or just slacks and a shirt?”

“He had on black slacks and a white shirt and wore a red tie. I remember wondering why he didn’t have a jacket,” remembered Hannah.

“Did he show any kind of identification or badge?” asked Nancy.

“I don’t remember,” answered Hannah, somewhat embarrassed. “He rang the bell and was in the house almost before I realized it, saying that he was there to inspect our furnace for a possible gas leak. That there had been several leaks in the neighborhood and he had to check all of the homes on the block. I guess he talked so fast that I didn’t have time to totally grasp what was going on!”

“Except Togo knew,” said Nancy, thoughtfully. “Dogs often sense when someone can’t be trusted.” She looked over at the detectives. “I found Togo at the front door covered in mud and hurt. He must have run around to the front of the house as Hannah was being carried out and tried to stop her kidnapper. He was kicked and stepped on.”

“Oh! Poor little thing!” exclaimed Hannah. 

Detective O’Malley nodded and asked, “what happened when you woke up?”

“It was absolutely terrifying!” she answered. “I didn’t know where I was or what had happened.” Nancy reached over and held her hand as Hannah continued, “when I opened my eyes, I was lying on a bed in a strange room. One I didn’t recognize. I pulled myself up and tried the door but it was locked. I pounded on it and yelled for the longest time but no one came to help me.”

Detective Brown was busily taking notes as O’Malley asked, “did you hear or see anyone.”

Hannah shook her head. “No. It seemed very quiet in the house and there were no windows so I couldn’t look outside.”

“Perhaps a room in a basement,” replied Mr. Drew.

“Or in an attic,” added Nancy.

“Possibly. The room was not very large but it did have a bathroom off to one side. After a while, I realized that it would be smarter if I stopped beating on the door and examine my surroundings. Look to see if there was another way out.” Hannah smiled at Nancy and patted her hand, “I looked for clues!”

Nancy returned her smile fondly.

Hannah continued, “After I carefully looked over the walls and ceilings in both the bedroom and bathroom, the only thing I found odd was what appeared to be a small trap door built into the bottom of the bedroom door.”

Nancy frowned, “a small trap door?” she asked.

“Yes. It opened from the outside and swung inward.” Hannah answered. “I tried to pry it open but it won’t budge. Later, I learned that this was the way my abductors would feed me. I received all of my meals on a tray slid through that little door.”

“You never saw your kidnappers?” asked Carson Drew.

Hannah shook her head. “No, I never saw them. I never saw anyone.”

“Did you hear anyone?” asked Nancy.

“Just once,” replied Hannah. “I heard a man and a woman talking but I couldn’t determine what they were saying.”

“How did you end up in central park?” asked Detective O’Malley.

“Well, that’s the strangest thing of all,” answered Hannah, “after what seemed like two days, suddenly there was a note on the tray with my sandwich. It said that when I woke up, I was to walk to River Heights central park, retrieve an envelope from the large oak tree, and then sit in the gazebo and wait. I couldn’t imagine what the note meant but, after eating the sandwich, I suddenly became very sleepy and must have passed out because when I awoke, I was lying on a bench in front of the First River Heights Bank right across from central park!”

“The sandwich must have contained a sleeping agent,” said Nancy. “Do you happen to have the note?”

“No, I fell asleep so quickly that I don’t even know how I got out of the house and onto the bench in front of the bank!” answered Hannah. “Lord, I hope I wasn’t out there sleeping on a public bench like some kind of hobo, for several hours!”

Nancy smiled. “No, they probably only gave you enough to knock you out long enough for them to make their get-away.”

“It almost sounds like an elaborate prank by some young people,” said Brown. When the Drews and Hannah stared at him, he continued, “well no one has been hurt and all of the money has been recovered, so no real harm done.”

“Except that they frightened us nearly to death and, you forget, my dog was injured,” Nancy said, empathically. “And, Hannah could have been easily hurt. I don’t believe for one minute that this was a simple prank!”

“Well, you could be right, of course,” replied Detective O’Malley, clearing his throat. He certainly did not want the Drews to give a bad report to Chief McGinnis. “We’ll continue to investigate. We’re just glad that this is over and Mrs. Gruen is home safe and sound.”

Nancy found it hard to believe that the incident was over. She tended to think that more was yet to come. Nancy would be proven right.


	4. Chapter 4

The letter was slipped through the Drews postal slot two days later. It read, “There is more to come. Never you directly. You will suffer through those you love. Mille plagis mortis ” And it was signed, “Doubles”. 

Nancy read the warning note twice. What on earth did it mean? And was it directed at her or her father? Both of them had solved enough cases to give them numerous enemies. And what was the meaning of Mille plagis mortis? Nancy decided it would be best to show her father the letter immediately, so she jumped in her roadster and drove downtown to her father’s office.

“When did this come to the house?” Mr. Drew asked, with a worried look on his face.

“I noticed it about an hour ago,” she replied. “It could have been slipped through the slot earlier than that, of course.”

“I don’t like it,” said her father, looking over the letter again, “I don’t like this at all. This is not like the usual threatening notes or calls you and I have grown accustomed to receiving. I fear that there is something deeply troubling about the mind of this individual or individuals.”

“Who do you think it’s directed at?” she asked, “you or me?”

“Well, it’s hard to say,” replied her father, “Hannah’s kidnapping affected both of us. Probably more you than me but who can tell?”

“Well, I think that both of us need to go over our cases and see if anything rings a bell,” said Nancy. “Dad, what does mille plagis mortis mean? I recognize that it’s Latin but haven’t a clue what it means.”

Carson Drew looked grave. “It means ‘death by a thousand cuts’, Nancy. They mean to make one of us suffer by doing harm to those we love.”

Nancy gasped softly as she nodded her head. “Like letting us see that they could kidnap Hannah from our own home.”

“And hold her captive without leaving us any clues to find her,” added Mr. Drew. “Hannah never saw her captives, can’t identify them, didn’t know where she had been held, and couldn’t even tell us how they actually kidnapped her. We have nothing!”

“Ah, but there you’re wrong, Dad!” replied Nancy, “criminals always leave clues. I’ve just got to find them!”

Back at her home, Nancy sat down and started to list details of all the mysteries she had solved up to that day. The list totaled over a dozen cases. She then placed details and notes under each, including the names of the victims, those accused, and those eventually found guilty. It took her nearly the entire afternoon and, at the end of it, she could not find even a hint of a clue when she tried to connect her cases to either the letter or the ransom note.

“This is frustrating to say the least,” muttered Nancy to herself. “Maybe I’m not the intended victim after all!” But, deep down, Nancy had the feeling that it was she, and not her father, who the culprits were after.

“If it’s me, then which one of my friends is next?” she wondered.

“I’m frightened for you, Nancy” said Ned, during their nightly phone call. Nancy had just finished telling him about the warning letter. “Any idea who’s behind this and whether this is directed at you or your dad?”

“No ideas yet,” replied Nancy, “although I would be equally alarmed if this threat was directed at my Dad.”

“Yes, of course,” answered Ned, “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise. But it would be good to know so that you could narrow down the list of potential victims.”

“You mean you’re worried that your next, Nickerson?” teased Nancy.

“Not at all,” said Ned, in a hurt tone, “I’m just trying to be helpful.”

“Hey, handsome,” said Nancy, softly, “I was just teasing you. You’re the bravest person I know.”

“Besides you,” responded Ned, somewhat mollified.

“What’s wrong, Ned?” asked Nancy, “you don’t sound quite like yourself.”

“Besides being worried about what might happen to you?” he replied.

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” she answered, “now tell me what’s up?”

“You know me too well,” sighed Ned, “well, okay, I think I’m being followed.”

A feeling of alarm swept through Nancy. 

“It’s been going on for several days,” continued Ned, “everywhere I go, there she is.”

“She?” 

“Yes, this woman,” Ned remarked, “she’s always nearby no matter where I am or what I’m doing.”

“Let me get this straight,” Nancy interrupted, “you think that you’re being followed by a woman.”

“Yes,” confirmed Ned.

“How old?”

“Around 20, I would guess,” answered Ned, “yesterday, she walked up behind me while I was studying in the library and ruffled my hair! I was so stunned that I didn’t know what to do.”

“Did she say anything?” asked Nancy, somewhat concerned.

“No, she just laughed and walked away.”

Nancy relaxed and found her breath again. 

“My darling Ned,” she said, gently, “I am not surprised that a woman would be following you around and flirting with you. I’m sure that it happens a lot and you don’t even notice. You are athletic, smart, popular, and kind. You also happen to be drop dead gorgeous. I often wonder how I got so lucky. Why do you put up with me when you have girls that follow you around campus and would certainly be easier to date? Sometimes I get downright jealous!”

Nancy was relieved to hear Ned chuckle. 

“Well,” he replied, “I guess I’m just a fool in love. I’m crazy in love with you, Nancy Drew. There’s absolutely no reason for you to be jealous!”

“I love you, too, Ned,” said Nancy, with love in her voice, “I hope you know that?”

“I do, sweetheart,” replied Ned, “I do!” 

Carson Drew’s call ended just in time for dinner and, when he walked into the dining room, his face was grim. He sat down but said nothing for a few moments. His daughter did not press him to speak although she had noticed his demeanor. 

“I just got off the phone with my sister,” he finally said.

Nancy’s Aunt Eloise was her father’s only sibling and brother and sister were very close. Eloise Drew lived in New York and Nancy would often stay with her when visiting the city. She adored her aunt and, looking at the worried expression on her father’s face, asked “how is Aunt Eloise? Is something wrong? Is she OK?”

“She’s broken her arm,” Carson Drew replied.

“Oh, dear!” exclaimed Nancy, “how did it happen?”

“Well, that’s what has me worried,” he answered, “she was pushed down some subway steps.”

“What!” his daughter exclaimed.

“She believes it was an accident, but I don’t know what to think.”

“What exactly did she say?” asked Nancy.

“She claims that she had just started down the steps to the subway about a block from her apartment when she felt someone bump her. She lost her balance and tumbled down several steps before a kind gentleman, standing below, reached out and stopped her fall.”

“She’s certain she felt a bump?” Nancy asked.

“Yes,” her father answered, “the only question is whether someone accidently bumped into her or pushed her on purpose.”

“Did she notice anyone near her?”

“No,” Carson Drew replied, “she was concentrating on getting down to the subway and didn’t notice. Nancy, although breaking an arm is pretty bad, her injuries could have been far worse.”

“Oh, dear,” said Nancy, nodding. After everything that was happening lately, she was fairly certain that Aunt Eloise’s tumble was no accident.

“Well, one thing seems certain,” her father’s words interrupted her thoughts, “apparently these culprits are after me, not you.”

“Hum, I wonder,” Nancy said thoughtfully, “after all, I’m also very close to Hannah and Aunt Eloise. This still could be directed at me, Dad. If only we could figure out which one of us it is, I might have a better chance of solving this mystery!”

Carson Drew just shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his dinner. “My secretary and I have started going over all of my cases for the last ten years. There are so many of them! Nothing’s turned up yet but we’re only half way through the pile.”

“Well, I think we’ll probably find out soon,” Nancy said sadly.

“How?”

“By the identity of their next victim,” sighed Nancy.

The answer would come two days later.


	5. Chapter 5

Nancy sat on her bedroom floor with the scattered notes of her cases spread in front of her. In the middle she placed the letters from the assailants. 

“All four of these are very different,” she said out loud to herself. The original note that was delivered to her father’s office was handwritten in block print. She moved that one to the side. “This is the only handwritten one which may be helpful, since it can be analyzed by an expert.”

The newspaper ad about Dr. Felix’s Face Cream and the ransom note with the cut-out magazine letters would be harder to decipher. She then moved the “millie plagis mortis” note to the side. 

“This note is the most worrisome to me. It certainly gives clues to their plan and shows the mindset of the culprits. The writer appears to want us to know that they are educated since they chose to use Latin,” Nancy surmised. “Yet, the term ‘death by a thousand cuts’ is not a Latin phrase. This is very confusing.”

An hour later, she was still studying the notes when her best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, arrived. The cousins had just returned the night before from a visit to their aunt who lived in Florida and both looked tanned and relaxed.

“It looks like a bomb went off in here!” exclaimed Bess, trying not to step on any of the papers covering the bedroom floor as she made her way across the room to sit on Nancy’s bed. The room was usually neat as a pin so the chums knew immediately that Nancy must be working on a new mystery.

“What’s up?” asked George, always ready for a new adventure.

“Nothing good, I can assure you,” responded Nancy, gravely, “I may have a real dangerous case this time! I’m not sure I should involve you!”

“All of your cases are pretty dangerous,” replied George, “why should this one be different?”

“Because it threatens people I love,” answered Nancy.

Bess gasped and then said, “that could include us! We’ve been your friends since we were kids. You love us, right?” 

Nancy nodded, acknowledging her concern for the safety of her two friends.

“Well, I guess that gives us the right to know all of the details!” exclaimed George.

“Yes, I suppose I should tell you,” sighed Nancy, “having the information may help you be on your guard. I just started working on the case so don’t have much to go on right now.” And, with that, Nancy told them what had happened to Hannah, Togo, and her Aunt Eloise. She also showed them the notes from the assailants. 

“You see, none of the notes are the same,” she added as she finished her story.

“The only thing is that they are all signed the same way,” pointed out George.

“You mean, ‘Doubles’,” said Nancy. “Yes, I noticed that also.

“What does it mean?” asked Bess, “twins, perhaps?”

‘Perhaps,” replied Nancy, “I’ve been trying to tie them to one of my cases. One that involved a pair of suspects.”

“Nancy, that could be a dozen cases!” exclaimed Bess.

“Why do you suspect that this has to do with a past case?” asked George.

“Because there is definitely the element of revenge,” said Nancy, “of course, I can’t prove that Aunt Eloise’s accident is related to Hannah’s kidnapping.”

“Or that Togo’s injuries are related, for that matter,” said George.

“Or that you’re the target for the revenge and not your father,” added Bess.

“Yes, you’re both right, of course,” sighed Nancy, “which is why this is so frustrating! I really don’t have much to go on!”

“Well, how about clearing your head for a few hours and riding out to Montclair with us tomorrow morning?” suggested George, “Bess needs to pick up an evening gown that she ordered from the dressmaker there and I’ve had my eye on a new set of golf clubs that are for sale at the new sporting goods shop.” 

“Yes, why don’t you come, Nancy?” added Bess, “The weather is supposed to be perfect and we could pack a picnic lunch for the trip back.”

“Sounds lovely, girls,” answered Nancy, wistfully, “but I think I’d better stay here and work on this case.” 

“Well, it’s up to you!” said George, “but give us a call in the morning if you change your mind.”

After waving goodbye to her friends, Nancy returned to her room and her case notes. She continued to focus primarily on those cases that included at least two main suspects and who most likely would wish to seek revenge.

“Let’s see, there is my very first case of recovering the will from the old clock,” thought Nancy. “Two people in that case were Isabel and Ada Tophams. Although they were rather loathsome characters, I really can’t believe that they would stoop to this! Still, I’ll put them on my list and do some investigating to determine whatever happened to them.”

Next, she added the names Maurice Hale and his wife. They had been involved in a counterfeiting operation in a mountainous cave overlooking Red Gate Farm. “Maurice also had a brother, I seem to recall,” thought Nancy. “Which means there could be more than two culprits involved!”

By the time Hannah called her downstairs for dinner, she had the names of David Carr and his wife from the case involving the leaning chimney, Frank and Emma Jemmitt of the Twisted Candles Inn, and Mary Smith’s entire gang from the fake Mon Coeur perfume company. Mary had used the alias “Madame”, as well as others, and had openly threatened Nancy upon her arrest. “This is due to your meddling! You just wait until I’m free!” she had screamed at the young detective. 

The last names on her list were the Raybolts. She remembered that Felix Raybolt had stolen the patents to dozens of inventions from naïve inventors and had been forced to pay back nearly his entire fortune as restitution. The Raybolt’s had lost their house in a fire and, with their life in shambles, had felt it best to leave town. Nancy wondered what had ever happened to them? Was “Foxy Felix” Raybolt suddenly bent on revenge?

As Nancy walked down to dinner, she smiled as she recalled the case. This was where she had first met Ned. She had looked over from the burning house to see him moving her roadster away from the flying embers. She had thought that he might be stealing her car. But, god, was he handsome! She remembered looking into those soft brown eyes of his and nearly falling off the running board as she hung onto the side of her moving vehicle. He later told her that it was at that very moment that he fell in love with her. 

“He’s such a romantic!” she chuckled. 

Over dinner, she talked over the case with her father who told her that he would make some phone calls in the morning concerning some of her suspects.

“I should be able to find out if these folks are still in jail,” he remarked.

“Thanks, Dad,” replied Nancy, “that would be helpful. In the meantime, I’m going to call a few of my old classmates to see if anyone knows where Isabel and Ada Tophams ended up.”

“Well, I can tell you about the Jemmetts!” said Hannah, walking into the dining room carrying a chocolate cake for their dessert and placing it in the center of the table. She handed a large knife to Mr. Drew, who began to cut slices for them. Over the last few days, the color had started to return to Hannah’s face and her anxiety fade away. She still jumped if Nancy or Mr. Drew entered a room suddenly without warning. And she still hadn’t been sleeping well. But the courageous woman was on the road to full recovery.

“You can?” asked Nancy, surprised.

“Yes,” replied Hannah, sitting down at the table and taking a bite of cake. “You remember Mrs. Collins, the lady who occasionally helps out at the Marvins?” 

“Yes,” answered Nancy. She had often seen Mrs. Collins while visiting Bess. She was older than Hannah and very friendly. She and Hannah often exchanged gossip and recipes.

“Well, she told me that she had received a letter from Emma Jemmitt not long ago asking for her cheesecake recipe! Imagine the cheek!”

Nancy and her father smiled. 

“She wrote that she and her husband had opened up a little Inn in Seattle and that cheesecake was a popular dessert with the locals,” continued Hannah, “so she wanted to add it to their menu. Mrs. Collins, who is always very polite, wanted to write back and tell her to go to blazes. But, in the end, she just told her that she had lost the recipe.”

“Hannah, this is great news!” exclaimed Nancy, “did Mrs. Jemmitt’s letter mention the name of the Inn?”

“Yes, that’s the best part!” chuckled Hannah, “it’s called The Rags To Riches Inn!”

“Well, that certainly should be easy to double check,” laughed Nancy, “I think I’ll call out there after we finish eating and see if the Inn really exists and if the Jemmitt’s own it!”

Half an hour later, Nancy was sitting at the phone in her father’s study. She first placed a call to Emily Harris, a former classmate of hers who also knew the Tophams. Fortunately, the usually talkative Emily was in the process of getting ready for a date so didn’t keep Nancy on the phone for very long. She was able to tell Nancy that Isabel was happily married to a lawyer and was living in Washington D.C, and that Ada was working with the Red Cross someplace over in Africa. 

“Can you just imagine Ada tending to the sick in Africa?” exclaimed Emily. “It’s beyond belief!”

Nancy had to agree with her and, after promising to “do lunch” soon, gratefully hung up the phone.

“Well, that crosses both Isabel and Ada from my list,” she thought. “Now for a long distance call to Seattle, Washington!”

Pretending to be a magazine reporter writing a story about Inn’s across the country, Nancy had a very informative conversation with the front desk clerk at the Rags to Riches Inn. The young lady was eager to tell Nancy all that she knew about the Inn and her employers. 

“Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Jemmitt own the Inn,” answered Hortense to Nancy’s question. “They’re serving dinner at the moment, but I can get one of them to the phone if you need to speak with them directly,” added the clerk.

Assuring Hortense that speaking directly to the Jemmitt’s was not necessary, Nancy said that she had just one more question.

“How did the Jemmitt’s come to own the Inn?” she asked.

“Oh, Mr. Jemmitt inherited the property from a relative,” answered Hortense, “he was really surprised because he hadn’t spoken to his uncle in years and then, bang, the old man died leaving the property to Mr. Jemmitt! Wonderful surprise, don’t you think?”

“Yes, quite a surprise indeed!” replied Nancy and, after promising to send a copy of the article should her editors think it worthy of publication, she hung up the phone.

“Well, it’s just a little lie,” Nancy said later to Hannah, “after all, I doubt the story would ever be worthy of publication since I have no intention of writing it.”

So, Frank and Emma Jemmitt were also scratched off Nancy’s list. “I hope Dad can find out if several of these other suspects are still in jail,” she said as she picked up the phone once again. This time, the call was one she actually looked forward to placing. It was to Ned at his fraternity house at Emerson College.

“I’m sorry, Ma’am,” said a young male voice on the other end of the telephone, “Ned’s not here.”

“Do you know when he’ll be in?” asked Nancy, glancing down at her wrist watch. It was pretty late so she was surprised to find him out. 

“Oh, I don’t expect him back anytime soon,” said the young man, snickering, “he’s out on a date with his girlfriend.”

“Oh really?” responded Nancy drily, “I didn’t know he was seeing anyone at the moment.”

“Yes, her name’s Delilah, and she’s gorgeous,” he giggled. Nancy could imagine that he was blushing. Suddenly the young man must have realized that he didn’t know who was on the other end of the line because his tone changed and he added, “er, excuse me Ma’am, would you like to leave a message for him?” 

“Yes,” replied Nancy, “please tell Mr. Nickerson that his old friend from River Heights called and wanted to ask him how his date went.”

“Sure,” answered the young man, and Nancy could hear him writing down the message. “And whom may I say is calling.”

“Oh, he’ll know who I am” said Nancy as she hung up the phone.

At first, she was furious. The amount of anger she felt surprised her. What’s more, she realized she was jealous. Nancy didn’t like the feeling. But why was Ned out on a date with a gorgeous woman named Delilah? The girl’s name, itself, provoked her. 

“I’m being ridiculous!” She chided herself, after she calmed down enough to think rationally, “Ned is NOT out on a date with another woman. There must be a reasonable explanation.” 

The explanation came early the following morning. 

“Nancy!” exclaimed Ned Nickerson over the phone, “what did that idiot Stewart tell you?”

“Well, good morning to you, too, Ned,” answered Nancy, as she wearily sat up in bed, propping herself up on her pillows. Not able to sleep, she had tossed and turned all night. 

“Stewart! Come here you little weasel,” shouted Ned gruffly, pulling the phone away from his mouth. 

Nancy heard yelling off in the distance, then running footsteps, some sounds as if someone was being dragged along a carpet, and then, finally, something that sounded vaguely like choking.

“You’re going to explain to Nancy that you were wrong about what I was doing last night!” demanded Ned to someone obviously standing nearby.

“Nancy?” came the question from the young male voice that Nancy recognized from the conversation last night. So, this must be the unfortunate Stewart.

“Yes, my GIRLFRIEND, Nancy Drew, you clod!” she heard Ned say through clenched teeth, “my sweetheart, the love of my life, the woman I hope will agree to marry me someday! That Nancy!”

“Oh! Jeeze, Ned!” said Stewart, “Put me down! I didn’t know. I thought you were out with Delilah.”

Nancy heard Ned let out something that sounded like “ack” and then the voice of Dave Evans, a good friend of Ned’s and fellow fraternity brother, say “Ned, put him down. You’ll hurt him. He’s new on campus and hasn’t met Nancy yet. He doesn’t know!”

After another moment, Ned apparently put Stewart down because the next voice Nancy heard speaking into the phone was that of the young man who was now trying to catch his breath.

“Nancy?” said Stewart, “This is Stewart Montgomery. I believe I made a terrible mistake last night when I informed you that Ned was out on a date with Delilah. This was just an assumption made on my part. Delilah had called for Ned earlier in the evening and when he told me that he was leaving to meet her, I assumed it was for a date. I was obviously mistaken about the whole thing. It was a misunderstanding. I sincerely hope that you will accept my deepest apology!”

Young Mr. Montgomery sounded so sad and sincere that Nancy, who at first was going to scold him, didn’t have the heart to do so, and graciously accepted his apology.

“I completely understand,” added Nancy, “and I hope to meet you the next time I’m up at Emerson.”

“You bet!” said Stewart, happily, and, handing the phone over to Ned, could be heard saying, “Gee, Ned, she sounds swell!”

“She is,” he replied and then waited until everyone had left the hallway before speaking into the phone again. “Gee, Nancy, I’m really sorry! I hope you didn’t believe for one moment that I would be out on a date with another girl?”

“Well….,” Nancy said honestly, “I hate to admit it, but I did for a few minutes, Ned, until I calmed down enough to realize that you’d be honest enough to tell me if we were through.”

“Don’t even think that, Nancy!” Ned pleaded, “not in a million years! I love you, sweetheart! I only have eyes for you! Always and forever!”

“Well, it was really nice to hear the sweet things you said about me when you were choking poor Stewart,” she said, chuckling, “am I really the love of your life, Nickerson?” 

“Yes, you are,” he replied without hesitation. “And I hope to be able to prove that to you one day.”

“You can start now by telling me about Delilah and why you went out on a date with her?” Nancy teased.

“There was NO date!” Ned said, exasperated. Then, realizing she was joking, he said, “Delilah is the woman who’s been following me around campus. I finally cornered her a few days ago and asked her why she was stalking me? She told me that she thought she knew me from Mapleton but was too shy to ask me directly so was following me until she got up enough courage to talk to me.”

Nancy was suspicious of Delilah and didn’t believe her explanation. However, she trusted Ned and believed he was telling the truth. She asked, “do you know her from Mapleton?”

“No, I’ve never seen her before in my life,” Ned replied, “she probably recognized me from the Mapleton High football games. She told me that she and her brother, Jasper, went to high school there.”

“What’s her last name?” asked Nancy.

“I don’t know,” replied Ned, “I really don’t know anything about her except that she has a brother, who I’ve met once or twice, and that they’re from my hometown. They’re both part-time students at Emerson and Delilah seems really homesick. We’ve met for coffee twice to talk about Mapleton and, once, she asked me to go to a movie with her and her brother. They told me that neither of them have friends at Emerson. I feel badly for her, Nancy. She’s from my hometown and I feel it’s my duty to help her feel welcome.” 

“When you talk about Mapleton, who does most of the talking?” she asked Ned.

He thought for a minute and then replied, “Gosh, I think I do most of the talking!”

“And what does she say about Mapleton?” questioned Nancy, “anything specific like the street they lived on or where her father worked?”

“No, her comments are mostly general,” Ned said, “like how much fun her classes were at the high school or the fact that she was once a Girl Scout.”

Those were things that any girl could say about anywhere in the United States. Nancy’s intuition was sounding alarm bells.

“I suppose she’s shy,” said Nancy, “and is more comfortable hearing about all your athletic prowess,” she added, only half joking.

“Nancy! It’s not like that!” Ned said, somewhat defensively, “if Delilah remembers me from my football games then, yes, she would be interested in hearing about those. It would be common ground for us.”

“Yes, that’s probably it,” replied Nancy. Maybe Delilah WAS homesick and found comfort in having a friend like Ned. After all, he was a very nice guy and would come to the aid of anyone who needed him.

“So, late yesterday evening,” Ned started to explain, as if reading Nancy’s mind, “she called me from a phone booth to tell me that she had run out of gas. She was stranded on the side of the road and wondered if I would come and pick her up so that she could fill up her gas can at the nearest station. I was just getting ready to call you, but I felt that I really couldn’t tell her no. Afterwards, she treated me to ice cream as a reward for helping her.”

“You were out really late,” Nancy reminded him, “it was after ten when I called the fraternity house.”

“Yes, I know,” Ned responded, “Whenever I told her that I really needed to get back, she would come up with excuses to keep me out a little longer. I was checking my watch the entire time. It was nearly midnight before I finally got back to the college. By that time, I was sure you were asleep and I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Actually, I was still awake,” she said, grimly, “I couldn’t sleep.”

“I’m terribly sorry, Nancy!” he said quickly, “if I had known what Stewart had told you, I would have called you immediately! I didn’t find out until early this morning when he handed me your message!”

“Is she pretty, Ned?” Nancy asked wistfully, wishing she didn’t need to know.

“Yes,” he answered. “But not as beautiful as you, darling.”

“You’re just saying that to appease me, aren’t you Nickerson?” teased Nancy.

“No, Drew, I’m just telling you the truth,” answered Ned, and then, in a more serious tone, added “it’s not only your physical beauty that makes you attractive, Nancy. Your spirit, courage, kindness, intellect, and generosity, all add to your looks. You’re gorgeous, sweetheart. Through and through. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. You turn heads whenever you enter a room. I still can’t believe that you ever gave me a second thought!”

“Now you’re making me blush, Ned Nickerson,” said a blushing Nancy, with a chuckle, “but I’m glad to hear that I make you happy.”

“Very!” he exclaimed, and then added, “which reminds me. There’s something a little strange about Delilah and Jasper. I can’t put my finger on it, but I feel cautious whenever I’m around either of them.”

“Hum, I would pay attention to those feelings, Ned,” said Nancy, “until we learn more about them. Starting with their last name.”

“I’ll ask Delilah next time I see her and let you know,” responded Ned, “I’ve got to get to class now, sweetheart, but I wanted to call you and make sure there was no misunderstanding about last night! I love you, Nancy, more than words could say!” 

“I love you, too, Ned,” replied a relieved Nancy, as she hung up the phone.

She was just finishing her breakfast when the phone rang, again. This time it was her father calling from his office.

“I have some news for you, Nancy,” he said, “Maurice Hale and his brother died in prison, during a riot. Maurice’s wife was released after only serving one year. She is currently living in New Mexico with her sister. I called the sister’s house and Mrs. Hale, herself, answered the phone, so that was confirmed.”

“O.K., I guess the Hale’s are off my list,” said Nancy. She was very relieved. The Hale’s had been very nasty customers and she didn’t relish going up against them.

“All of the Mon Coeur gang are still in prison,” Mr. Drew continued, “they’ve been split up in prisons throughout the U.S. but I was able to account for every one of them.”

“That leaves only David Carr and his wife. He also had a brother, if I remember correctly,” Nancy said.

“Your memory is correct. David’s brother died of a heart attack before his trial. I’m still waiting to hear about David and his wife,” said her father, “I should know something soon.”

“Thanks, Dad!” said Nancy, “it doesn’t help to identify any suspects but it narrows the field, at least.”


	6. Chapter 6

As her father waited for news of the Carr’s, Nancy started to investigate the last names on her list. Felix Raybolt and his wife had left Mapleton and, apparently, had all but disappeared. She decided to drive out to the site of the Raybolt’s former homestead and speak to some of the neighbors.

“I wish Bess and George were here so that they could come with me,” she told Hannah, as the housekeeper packed a bag lunch for her to take along on the trip.

“Please be careful driving, Nancy,” said Hannah, as Nancy walked to her car, “you know I worry about you!”

“I will, Hannah!” answered Nancy, smiling affectionally at the older woman, “don’t worry. I’ll be extra careful!”

Meanwhile, her chums were driving to Montclair. The weather was beautiful and the traffic very light. For several miles, they had the road to themselves.

“Gosh, I wish Nancy had come with us,” sighed Bess.

“Tired of me already?” teased George.

“No,” replied her cousin, “but Nancy could have used the break away from the case. I think it would have helped her.”

“Yes, you’re right,” responded George, “but you know how seriously she takes these things.”

“Watch out, George,” warned Bess, “we’re coming up on that hairpin curve.”

George, who was driving, started to slow down in anticipation of the turn, but as she applied the brakes, nothing happened. The speed of the vehicle did not decrease.

“George!” yelled Bess, “slow down!” 

“I can’t!” George yelled in return, “I’m pressing the brakes but nothing is happening!”

“We’ll going to be killed,” Bess screamed, clutching the handle of the passenger side door.

The tight hairpin curve was just up ahead and George applied the emergency brake in an attempt to slow down the car. For a moment, it looked like her effort might work. The vehicle slowed for a mere second before the emergency brake released itself in a ball of smoke. They were traveling much too fast and now the turn was only yards away. George tightened her grip on the steering wheel, bracing in an attempt to make the turn. 

They didn’t have a chance. Although George succeeded in turning the wheels through the first few feet of the curve, the car flipped over, crashing through the guard rails, and over the embankment. It tumbled over several times before finally coming to a stop upside down at the bottom of the ravine. Seconds later it exploded into flames.

Meanwhile, Nancy, after failing to get any information from the Raybolt’s former neighbors, arrived at Riverwood Cottage, the home of the Swenson’s.

Joe Swenson was one of the inventors that had been swindled by Felix Raybolt. It was through meeting his wife and lovely little daughter, Honey, that Nancy and her friends had stumbled upon the case.

“Nancy!” cried Mrs. Swenson, “what a pleasant surprise! It’s so wonderful to see you!”

The yard and house had been greatly improved since Joe had gotten his patents and money back. 

Nancy noticed that Mrs. Swenson was wearing a lovely summer frock and matching scarf as she warmly greeted the young detective. “Please come in and have some tea with us!   
Honey and Joe will be delighted to see you!”

Father and young daughter were just biting into some sweet tea cakes when Nancy rounded the corner into their small dining room. Both jumped up and joyfully greeted her.

“How wonderful!” said Joe, smiling fondly, “what brings you to our corner of the world.”

“Another mystery, I’m afraid!” she answered with a grin.

“Are your friends not with you?” asked Mrs. Swenson.

“No, not this time. Bess and George needed to run some errands in Montclair today, “replied Nancy.

“And how about that handsome young man of yours?” asked Joe Swenson. His wife shot him a warning look.

“Don’t embarrass her, Joe, with such questions,” said his wife gently.

“Ned’s at Emerson College, right now,” said Nancy, blushing slightly, “but I hope to bring him by for a visit very soon, if that would be acceptable to you, of course.”

“Of course!” replied Joe, “you and your friends are always welcome here!”

Honey had been holding Nancy’s hand and now she pulled her over to one of the chairs, handing her a tea cake as she sat down. “Thank you, Honey!” Nancy told the child, “My, what a lovely dress!” she added.

Grinning, Honey swirled around before sitting down to finish her own cake. As Nancy drank her tea and ate her cake, she asked the Swenson’s about the Raybolts.

“I’m not quite sure where he and his wife went after they left town, but rumors say that they went to live in Kansas,” answered Joe.

“Do you know where in Kansas?” asked Nancy.

“Somewhere in Barton County, I believe,” Mrs. Swenson interjected.

The time flew by quickly, and Nancy, thanking the Swenson’s for their help, finally started for home. Her mind was filled with questions and, unfortunately, very few answers

Carson Drew and Hannah were standing on the Drew front porch as Nancy pulled into the driveway. She was just about to say “you needn’t have worried! I’ve made it home safely” when she noticed the expression on their faces and her words froze in her throat.

“What’s wrong? What’s the matter?” she gasped, as she ran up the steps toward them.

“Nancy, there’s been an accident,” her father began.

“Ned?” she said, bringing her hand to her mouth.

“No, Bess and George,” he said, “we should all go to the hospital now.”

Nancy was numb with shock as her father drove them to the River Heights Hospital Center. She had known Bess and George practically forever. Since childhood. They were her very best friends. How could this have happened? 

They were nearly there when Nancy was finally able to summon the courage to ask, “are they…?” But she could not finish her question.

Hannah quickly answered. “They’re both alive, honey,” she said, putting her arm around Nancy. “but barely.”

The hospital receptionist told Mr. Drew that Bess was in a room on the third floor but George was in Intensive Care and could not receive visitors. Both families were expecting them and would be waiting in each of the floor’s waiting rooms. 

“Bess has been in and out of consciousness,” Mr. Marvin told them. Mrs. Marvin was in Bess’s room seated by her daughter’s bed. “Bess keeps mumbling something about the brakes not working and George not being able to slow the car down.”

“Where did it happen?” asked Carson Drew.

“On the hairpin curve just 10 miles south of Montclair,” Mr. Marvin explained. They all knew the curve well. It had been the scene of many an accident from drivers trying to take the curve too fast. Mr. Marvin continued, “The police tell us that the car was travelling too fast to make the curve safely. They found it interesting that there were no brake marks indicating that George had been trying to slow the car down.”

“George was driving?” asked Nancy. When Mr. Marvin nodded, she added, “George is an excellent driver. She would never have endangered their lives intentionally. Something must have caused the brakes to fail!”

“The police thought so too. While at the scene, one of them noticed the smell of break fluid and this prompted them to make a full investigation. They found that the brake lines had been cut in such a way as to allow the brake fluid to leak out slowly, eventually causing the brakes to fail after the car had been driven several miles. Unfortunately, this happened just as the girls approached the Montclair hairpin curve. It appears that George did try to slow the vehicle down by using the emergency brake but it couldn’t hold and quickly burned out.”

Tears filled Nancy’s eyes. Brave George, she thought, struggling to save her and Bess. Bess. She must have been scared out of her wits.

“George almost made the turn but the car flipped over the guard rail and down the embankment. It landed upside down at the bottom and exploded into flames,” finished Mr. Marvin.

The group sat in silence for several minutes. The news was terrible. Worse then any of them could imagine. Nancy looked over at her father and gave him a meaningful stare. He nodded. They now knew which one of them was the intended target. 

Mrs. Marvin came out of Bess’s room and told them that Bess was sleeping comfortably and looking somewhat better. She suggested that they stop in at the ICU waiting room to see the Faynes and then return tomorrow when Bess, hopefully, would be awake and able to talk with them. Mrs. Marvin would stay in Bess’ room, for the night, seated beside her daughter.

They found George’s parents just outside of the glass enclosure where their daughter lay fighting for her life. Nancy could not help but gaze through the glass, trying to catch sight of her friend. But it proved impossible to find her under the layers of blankets, machines, and tubes.

“Her condition is stable at the moment,” said Mrs. Fayne. “We thought that we were going to lose her at first, but she’s made it through the worst of it now.”

“Oh, thank goodness!” said Nancy. “Mrs. Fayne, I’m so sorry that this has happened. The girls had asked me to go with them. Maybe if I had, we could have avoided the accident. Perhaps taken my car?” she added.

“It was an accident, Nancy,” said Mr. Fayne. “If you had gone, you might have been hurt as well. These things just happen.”

Hannah and the Drews drove home in silence. When they arrived, Hannah went into the kitchen to fix them a light dinner as the events of the day had left them all with a loss of appetite.

“It isn’t the Carr’s,” said Carson Drew, softly, as he took a bite of his sandwich, “I heard back from the prison system in Alabama. David and his wife are still incarcerated.” 

“Oh, Dad,” Nancy said, looking hopelessly at her father, “what am I going to do?”

“Solve this mystery, Nancy!” responded Mr. Drew, emphatically, “you’re going to use all of your talents as the great detective that you are and you’re going to solve this case! I know you will!”

“Thanks, Dad,” smiled Nancy weakly, “it appears as though I have no choice. These culprits are crazy! I must stop them before another person gets hurt!”

She told him, then, about her visit to the Swenson’s and her lead on the Raybolts. “It’s a very slim lead but it’s all I’ve got. Tomorrow, on my way to the hospital, I’ll swing by the library and try to find them in the Kansas phone book.”

That night, she told Ned what had happened to Bess and George. He was stunned and told her several times how sorry he was that he wasn’t there to help her.

“I’m not sure what you could have done,” Nancy told him, “but I must admit that it would have been nice to have you here.”

“For moral support?” he asked.

“Yes,” she replied sadly, “Ned, I don’t know what to do? I’ve studied the letters and gone over my case notes and I can’t find any clues. Nothing I do seems to work. I’m not getting anywhere and, as time goes by, more of the people I love are getting hurt. I’m beginning to feel as though I should never have become a detective!”

“Don’t say that, Nancy!” said Ned, suddenly, “you’re a great detective! Don’t let them get to you. Don’t you dare let them win!”

“Perhaps you’re right,” she replied sadly, “I just feel terribly helpless!”

“Oh sweetheart,” Ned said, with compassion in his voice, “I do wish I could be there. If for nothing else but to be a shoulder for you to cry on.”

“You forget that I don’t cry, Nickerson,” said Nancy, trying to lighten the mood.

“You DO cry, Drew. Just very rarely,” countered Ned.

And then, almost as if his words had suddenly unlocked the flood gates that secured her emotional resolve, Nancy found herself crying. She was almost as shocked about it as Ned was, hearing her over the phone. She was exhausted, frustrated, and downright scared, and she just couldn’t help herself. Nancy Drew was crying, and Ned could do nothing but listen from miles away in his room at Emerson. 

The next morning, Nancy was feeling better and with a renewed determination to solve this mystery. After breakfast, as she was putting on her hat and coat on her way to the library, when there was a knock at the front door. She opened it to find Ned standing there with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

“Well hello there, gorgeous!” he said with a grin, scooping her up in his arms and kissing her.

“Ned!” she exclaimed in surprise, “what are you doing here? It’s Friday! Why aren’t you in class?”

“My girl needed me!” he replied, “so I asked one of my fraternity brothers to tell my instructors that I had a family emergency and had to leave campus suddenly to come home. I’ll have to leave late on Sunday and go back but I’m yours until then!”

“Your mine no matter where you are!” said Nancy fondly, as she reached up to kiss him again. “But thank you, Ned! This is a wonderful surprise! Gosh, I’m glad you’re here!” 

“Well, I’m glad I’m here too,” he grinned, “but, before we start our day, do you think that Hannah might throw together some breakfast for your poor boyfriend? I’m starving!”

Nancy chuckled. Ned’s huge appetite was famous and he especially loved Hannah’s cooking. She took him by the hand and led him to the kitchen. “If Hannah can’t fix you breakfast, I certainly will!” she assured him.

Hannah, of course, was delighted to fix breakfast for Ned and, as she prepared a stack of pancakes, two eggs, toast, and several pieces of bacon, Nancy went over the facts of the case.

“So, as I figure it,” said Ned, “the only suspects unaccounted for are the Raybolts, right?”

“Yes,” answered Nancy, “everyone else is either still in prison or in confirmed places. And, none of these places are close enough to River Heights to allow the culprits to deliver the threatening letters, kidnap Hannah, push Aunt Eloise down the steps, or cut George’s brake lines.”

“So, what’s our next move, Detective Drew?” asked Ned.

“Well, after you eat your enormous breakfast, and I kiss you again, we’ll head over to the library,” replied Nancy, softly stroking his cheek with her hand, “I want to see if I can find Foxy Felix Raybolt in the Kansas phone book and any other information about him.”

Half an hour later, they were seated at a library table with two phone books from Barton County, Kansas in front of them. Mrs. Hayes, the Librarian, was loading Microfiche into the reader off to the side so that Nancy could research some old newspaper articles.

“Here you go, Nancy,” the Librarian said, “just turn the crank to advance the pages.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Hayes,” responded Nancy, “hopefully I’ll be able to find some clue as to the whereabouts of my suspect.”

“I often find it helpful to search death notices and obituaries,” suggested Mrs. Hayes, “you’ll be amazed at how much information can be gleaned from those types of announcements.”

Ned set about looking through the phone books as Nancy researched the Microfiche films. After more than an hour, Ned had found five Raybolts and wrote down their names and phone numbers. Meanwhile, Nancy was combing through hundred of pages of newspaper articles, without much success. 

“Well, this is taking longer then I thought,” Nancy said, ruefully, “I’m not finding anything. I think we should take a break and go visit Bess and George in the hospital. Afterwards, I’ll try calling all those Raybolts in Kansas.”

Soon Nancy and Ned were standing at Bess Marvin’s bedside. She was awake and alert. 

“Nancy! Ned!” she exclaimed, as Nancy bent down to give her a hug, “gosh, I’m glad to see you!”

“Oh, Bess!” said Nancy, “I’m so glad to see you awake and looking better. How do you feel?”

“Horrible,” replied Bess, honestly, “I’m bruised from head to foot and ache all over. I must look a fright!”

“You look great, Bess!” said Ned.

“Flatterer!” said Bess, smiling, “But I appreciate the lie!”

“Do you feel strong enough to tell us what happened?” asked Nancy, softly.

Bess paused for a moment as if gathering her composure and then began, “to start with, I won’t be here if it hadn’t been for George. She saved my life, Nancy!” Tears started to flow but she quickly tried to brush them away. Ned handed her his hankie.

Bess nodded as she lightly dabbed her eyes. “We were on our way to Montclair and were just approaching the hairpin curve when George discovered that the brakes were not working. I don’t remember much because I was hanging on for dear life and screaming my lungs out. I think that the car flipped upside down and we crashed through the guard rail, but I’m not sure. All I know is that it was the oddest feeling! As the car tumbled, it felt almost like flying, but with the world spinning around and around.”

Ned, who had been standing behind a seated Nancy, reached down and took Nancy’s hand. She gave it a little squeeze.

“I have a vague recollection,” continued Bess, “that the car finally landed upside down at the bottom of the ravine and the smell of smoke.” She paused again and looked away as if trying to recall the exact details. Finally, she said, “The one thing that I remember clearly is my car door open and George leaning over me. Somehow, she managed to unbuckle my seatbelt and pull me from the vehicle. I must have passed out after that because the next thing I remember was waking up in the hospital.” 

Ned and Nancy nodded. “You’re very lucky, Bess. You have a concussion, two broken toes, and a nice size gash on your left leg. But you could have been killed!” said Nancy, reaching out and taking Bess’s hand in her free one. “I can’t bare to think what I’d do without you and George!” she added softly.

“Mother told me that George was badly injured and is in Intensive Care,” Bess replied, “have you seen her yet? Is she going to make it, do you think?”

“We haven’t been able to see her, but the doctors think that she’ll make it,” answered Nancy. “We all know that George is a fighter! I know she’ll pull through!”

Bess could only nod and look down. “I won’t be alive right now if it hadn’t been for George. I know we fuss a lot at each other, but I do love her,” she said in a whisper, “she’s really more like a sister to me than a cousin.”

“We’ll be going up to ICU in a few minutes to see if we can get more information,” said Ned. “Then we’ll stop by here on our way out and let you know what we’ve learned.”

Bess thanked them and leaned back on her pillows. After so much discussion, she looked pale and tired and Ned and Nancy decided it was time to leave. After receiving a kiss on the cheek from them both, she soon fell into a deep comfortable sleep.

Upon entering the ICU, the nurse told them that, although they could not actually enter George’s partitioned glass enclosure, they could look through the glass and see her. However, they discovered that the curtain surrounding George’s bed was closed and they could see nothing. But, as luck would have it, just as they turned to leave, Mrs. Fayne suddenly appeared from behind the curtain and, seeing them, came out to greet them. Both Nancy and Ned were greatly relieved to see her smiling broadly.

“Nancy!” said Mrs. Fayne, giving Nancy a warm hug, “I’m so glad that you came! And you too, Ned!” she added, patting his arm, “George is doing so much better!”

“Oh! That’s wonderful news!” exclaimed Nancy, very much relieved, “we’ve been so worried!” 

“Yes, when they first brought her in, they weren’t sure she would recover but they don’t know George!” Mrs. Fayne said with a chuckle. “She has two broken ribs, a broken leg, and some major bruising, especially on the left side of her face. The doctor’s detected some internal bleeding and took George into surgery late last night. They were able to stop it and don’t think there will be any further complications.”

“Bess tells us that George was the one who pulled her from the overturned car, just before it exploded, and saved her life!” exclaimed Ned, “how was that possible given George’s injuries?”

“She probably was in shock and not even aware of her own condition. One often hears stories about mother’s lifting heavy objects in order to save their children. This could have been a similar situation,” surmised George’s mother.

“Or it was just George’s grit!” added Nancy, proudly, “I’ve seen George do some pretty amazing things while defying the odds.”

“True!” Ned chimed in with a smile.

Mrs. Fayne turned toward the glass and smiled. Then, after a moment, she said, “wait here a minute,” and she opened the glass door and walked back behind the curtain. After a few seconds, the curtain was pulled open to reveal George, slightly propped up on pillows, and awake. She had a large bruise covering the side of her face and was pale, but smiling. She weakly lifted her hand off the bed a few inches, just enough to give her friends a little wave, and then let it drop back down.

Nancy and Ned waved back excitedly, thrilled to know that George would be OK. Not wanting to risk worsening her condition, they didn’t stay long, and, with a final wave, left the ICU and returned to Bess’s room only to find her still asleep. Her mother was there, however, so they were able to pass along the wonderful news about George. Mrs. Marvin promised to let her daughter know as soon as she woke and soon Ned and Nancy were on their way back home.

Before long, they realized that it was nearly time for lunch, so they stopped off at one of their favorite places, Maxine’s. They were half way through their hamburgers and shakes when they heard a shout from across the diner.

“Ned!” shouted an attractive young woman just entering the building. She was waving a hand in Ned’s direction. Following close behind her was a tall young man, perhaps a year or two older, carrying what appeared to be a textbook at his side.

“What the…?” said Ned, confusion passing over his face.

The young woman sauntered up to the table, bent over, grabbed Ned’s face between her hands, and placed a passionate kiss directly on his lips. Nancy felt her blood pressure shoot through the roof. Ned’s face turned red as he clasped the woman’s arms and pushed her away, holding her at arm’s length.

“Delilah!” he gasped, “what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Oh, Ned!” Delilah laughed, “I’m sorry, honey! I forgot that you don’t like it when I kiss you in public.”

Ned was so shocked that all he could do was sputter. Taking advantage of this momentary lapse of conversation, Delilah stepped out of his grasp and sat down at the table. The young man with her did the same, moving his chair very close to Nancy, so that his knees touched hers.

“Hi,” he said, looking deep into her eyes, his voice soft and silky, “my name’s Jasper. What’s yours, baby?”

Nancy felt an immediate and intense revulsion surge through her. She doubted if she had ever encountered a more slimy character. Deciding to ignore him, Nancy moved closer to Ned, trying to increase the distance between her and Jasper.

“Honey, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” purred Delilah, trying to reach out and capture Ned’s hand.

Ned dropped his hands down under the table and grabbed hold of one of Nancy’s. He stared in shock at Delilah, saying nothing.

“Hi, I’m Delilah,” said the woman, directing a gaze at Nancy, “and this is my brother Jasper.” 

Recovering his wits, and gathering all his verbal strength, Ned was finally able to say, “This is my girlfriend, Nancy.” He then turned to Jasper, “Nancy Drew. Nancy is my girlfriend. And, Jasper,” Ned added with a growl, “if you don’t stop looking at my girlfriend like that, I’m going to throw you right through that glass plate window.”

“Ned, honey!” exclaimed Delilah, “girlfriend? You said that I was your girl! You said that I was your only one.”

“Delilah,” responded Ned, sharply, “that simply isn’t the truth and you know it.” Turning to Jasper, he asked, “what are the two of you doing here, anyway?”

“I left a really important text book I needed for school back at home,” Jasper explained through a yawn. “Dee and I decided to drive back to Mapleton and pick it up. We got hungry and stopped here. This is one of our favorite places to eat.”

“Really?” said Nancy, suspiciously, “Ned and I have been coming here for years. I don’t recall ever seeing you?”

“Oh, yes,” answered Delilah, “Jasper’s right. I guess we were never here at the same time. Imagine that!”

“Yes, just imagine,” echoed Nancy. She couldn’t figure these two people out. Ned’s prior description of them did not come close to matching their behavior now. Had Delilah somehow fooled Ned into thinking she was someone who she wasn’t. Was this the real Delilah?

Nancy endeavored to find out their last name, which neither of them had disclosed during their introduction.

“So, Delilah, I didn’t catch your last name?” she said, leaning toward the young woman, “I might know your parents?”

“Oh, no,” Delilah answered, “you won’t know them. They don’t travel in your circles.”

“Come on, Dee,” said Jasper, suddenly, “we need to get back to Emerson. We’ll eat somewhere less crowded,” he added with emphasis.

As they stood to go, Delilah patted Ned on the shoulder and said, “see you back at school, Ned honey! Drive safely. I need you back in one piece,” she giggled. Soon they were getting into their car and driving away. Nancy quickly made note of their license plate number.

“Nancy, I…,” Ned started to speak but found that words failed him.

“I know,” she said, “that was the strangest encounter I’ve ever experienced!” She looked over at Ned and saw the confused and worried expression on his face. 

“Nancy, you have to believe me. I never told Delilah that she’s my girl and I’ve never, ever, kissed her!” he said, empathically, “I hope you can believe me!”

“I do,” she assured him, “but you’ll have to wash your mouth before I can kiss you again,” she added, giving him a weak laugh.

“Nancy, I’m so sorry,” said Ned, “Delilah’s never done that before. I can’t imagine why she was acting like that?”

“Maybe she’s in love with you?”

“No, absolutely not!” Ned replied, shocked.

“How do you know?” asked Nancy, looking into his eyes.

“I just know, that’s all,” Ned answered, getting up from his chair and, placing his hand on the small of her back, guided Nancy toward the door. “Besides, she’s barking up the wrong tree. I’m already taken!”

“Good to know,” she said, smiling up at him as he opened the car door for her. “You know, she may have just been trying to make me jealous.”

“Did it work?” Ned asked, putting his key into the ignition.

“Yes,” Nancy replied, grimly, “I have to admit that it did.”


	7. Chapter 7

By the time Ned and Nancy arrived at the Drew home, Ned had a splitting headache. 

“I suppose I should go home to Mapleton and lay down but I’m reluctant to leave you,” he told Nancy, as he plopped down on the living room couch.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and lay down on my bed,” recommended Nancy, “you’ll feel better after you’ve rested.”

“Are you sure?” Ned asked, as he started to stand, “do you think that would be O.K? Your father’s not going to shoot me if he finds me in your bed?”

“As long as he doesn’t find me in my bed at the same time,” chuckled Nancy, “you should be safe.”

After receiving two aspirin and a quick kiss from his girlfriend, Ned climbed the stairs to Nancy’s bedroom, kicked off his shoes, and settled himself down on her bed. He glanced around the room, noting how neat and organized Nancy kept it. It was a far cry from his own back in Mapleton or his fraternity digs at Emerson. His domestic surroundings were always somewhat chaotic where hers was orderly. “I suppose this goes along with her detective’s mind,” he said to himself.

He rolled over onto his side and saw the picture of himself that she kept on her bedside table. It was taken about two years ago, when they were at his parent’s lake house. His hair looked windblown, and a bit bleached by the sun, and although he had to admit that he looked pretty darn good in the picture, he still wondered what Nancy Drew saw in him. Out of all the men in the world that she could have in her life, she chose him. He drifted off to sleep with that thought plaguing his mind.

Meanwhile, Nancy was at work downstairs. She had gone into the kitchen to let Hannah know that she and Ned were home and Hannah had silently handed her an envelope. As she looked down at it, she saw that it was another note from the kidnappers. Its message was brief.

“Ad in tomorrow’s newspaper. Signed, Doubles.”

“When did this come?” Nancy asked, looking at Hannah.

“Sometime this afternoon,” replied Hannah, “I can’t be sure because I only saw it when I came in from the garden. It had been slipped through the mail slot.”

“Time to call Chief McGinnis,” she said, nodding to Hannah. “It’s time to call in the experts.”

Moving to her father’s study, she placed the call to the Chief. “I’ve just received another letter from the kidnappers. It’s brief but handwritten in block letters like the other one.”

“I see, Nancy,” responded the police chief. “Let me guess, you think we now have enough letters to ask our handwriting expert to take a look at them.”

“You’re reading my mind,” laughed Nancy, “yes, that would be wonderful if you could arrange it.”

“Yes, of course,” answered McGinnis, “anything for River Height’s best detective! When can you bring the notes to the station?”

Shrugging off the compliment, Nancy assured him that she would bring them over to the station immediately. “I have one more favor, please, Chief?” Nancy began, “could you have a license plate number traced for me.”

“Sure,” said the Chief, “if you give it to me now, I’ll have the answer for you by the time you get here.”

“Thank you, Chief McGinnis!” exclaimed Nancy, “you’re wonderful!” and quickly read the tag numbers over the phone to him.

Before jumping in her car, she took a picture of the letter so that she could drop the film off at her father’s friend for developing. Mr. Graves had done an excellent job with the first picture, enlarging it so that Nancy could study it in detail, and she was anxious to have an enhanced picture of this second one as well.

“Hannah, I’m off to the police station to drop of this letter,” said Nancy to the housekeeper, “Ned is sleeping upstairs in my room, and if he wakes before I’m back, please let him know where I’ve gone.” And she was out the door and into her car before the housekeeper could reply.

“That young lady never stops,” Hannah sighed, shaking her head, “I just hope she’s being careful.”

After dropping off her film at Mr. Grave’s studio, Nancy arrived at the police station and was shown into Chief McGinnis’ office.

“There you are, Nancy!” said the Chief, standing and taking her outstretched hand, “I’d like you to meet one of the best grapologist’s in Illinois!”

The young woman seated in the corner stood to shake Nancy’s hand. She was about 26 years of age, professional, with a confident air about her. Nancy liked her immediately. 

“Hi, Miss Drew, I’m Grace Waters. It’s so nice to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Well, if what you’ve heard is from Chief McGinnis, please only believe about a third of it,” replied Nancy, smiling, “I’m afraid the chief is an old friend of the family and tends to exaggerate on my behalf!”

The Chief only laughed but Miss. Water’s replied, “No, not at all. You are very well known in police circles by your stellar reputation.” And then, getting right down to business, she added, “did you bring the letters?”

“Yes, here are all of them,” said Nancy, handing her a large envelope. “I’ve included all of them although only three of them are handwritten.” Grace Waters nodded as she opened the envelope. Nancy continued, “I thought that the word use and patterns might prove helpful.”

“Yes, absolutely,” agreed Miss. Waters, “I’ll get busy on these immediately and will give you a call when I’ve completed my analysis.”

After she left the office, Chief McGinnis turned to Nancy, “I’ve got the name of the owner of the vehicle as traced through the license plate you gave me. The vehicle is owned by a Jasper Rivers of Chicago.”

“How interesting,” remarked Nancy. “Do you have an address on Mr. Rivers?”

“Yes, it’s on his driver’s license,” grinned the Chief, “of which I am giving you a copy.” Chief McGinnis picked up an envelope and handed it to Nancy. “I’ve also included his complete driving record. I hope this helps you solve your case!”

“Yes, it most likely will,” Nancy responded with a smile, “you have no idea!”

Back in her car, she opened the envelope and pulled out the contents. There was Jasper’s driver’s license with his picture. It was indeed Delilah’s brother. The license also showed a Chicago address, not one in Mapleton. 

“That doesn’t prove anything,” she reminded herself. “This license shows that it was just renewed six months ago, and Jasper may have moved to Chicago before enrolling at Emerson.”

The real surprise, however, came by studying his driving record. It showed no indication that Jasper had ever lived in Mapleton.

“That’s really strange. One would think that he got his license while in high school and Delilah told Ned that both she and her brother attended Mapleton High,” she said, as she returned the documents to the envelope and started for home.

When she arrived, she quietly tiptoed to her bedroom door and peeked in to find that Ned was still asleep. He looks just like a little boy, she thought to herself, fighting the urge to walk over to the bed and smooth out his tussled hair. Smiling to herself, she gently closed the door and returned to her father’s study. Picking up the phone, she dialed the Registrar’s Office at Emerson College.

She signed with relief when she recognized Mary Adam’s voice on the other end of the line. The Registrar knew Nancy well. Not only was Nancy a frequent guest of Ned’s at Emerson, but she had also solved several mysteries for the college. Nancy was pretty sure that Mrs. Adam’s would be willing to help her.

“Well hello, Nancy!” said Mrs. Adam’s, “how are you?”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Adam’s,” answered Nancy, “I’m working on a rather complicated case and wondered if you might be able to help me?”

“Sure, Nancy, what can I do for you?”

“I need to know if you have two students registered at Emerson. They both claim to be part-time,” said Nancy.

“Well, I’m not suppose to give out that information,” said the Registrar, “but there’s no law that says that I can’t confirm information that you may already have,” she chuckled.

“Thanks, Mrs. Adam’!” Nancy exclaimed, “you’re a life-saver! The names are Delilah and Jasper Rivers. They’re brother and sister.”

“Let me call you back in about twenty minutes, Nancy,” said Mary Adams, “I should have something for you then.”

Nancy had just finished drinking a glass of milk and was picking up an apple when the phone rang. 

“Nancy? This is Mary Adams.”

“Yes?” answered Nancy, “did you find them on the rolls?”

“No,” said Mrs. Adams, “they’re not registered as part-time students OR full-time students. As far as I can tell, they’re not students at Emerson College at all.”

“Ah!” exclaimed Nancy, “that’s very interesting.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Nancy,” said Mrs. Adams.

“On the contrary, Mrs. Adams,” responded Nancy, “You’ve given me some very valuable information. Thank you!”

The next several calls that Nancy made were to the Raybolts in Kansas from the list that Ned had made from the phonebooks in the library.   
The first two numbers were no longer in service. 

An older woman answered the third number that Nancy dialed, and it soon became clear that these Raybolts were not the ones she was seeking.

Looking down at the last two numbers, Nancy wondered if she was on a wild goose chase, but when someone answered the next call, her hope returned.

“Raybolt residence,” stated the voice on the phone.

“May I speak to Mr. or Mrs. Raybolt, please?” asked Nancy.

“Mrs. Raybolt is sleeping and cannot be disturbed,” replied the voice.

“Is Mr. Raybolt at home? It is vitally important that I speak with him,” said Nancy.

“If it’s so important, then you would know that Mr. Raybolt passed away last year,” said the voice. 

“Oh!” exclaimed Nancy, “perhaps I have the wrong family. I’m trying to find Mr. Felix Raybolt.”

“Yes, you have the correct number,” replied the voice, “Mr. Felix Raybolt is the one who’s dead.”

Still making sure, Nancy asked, “did Mr. Raybolt once live just outside of Mapelton, Illinois?”

The voice on the other end of the phone was beginning to grow impatient with all the questioning. “Yes, that’s where he and Mrs. Raybolt used to live. Why are you so interested in Mr. Felix? Does he owe you money because if he does, you’re out of luck! He didn’t have any money when he died and Mrs. Raybolt doesn’t have any either!” 

“No, he doesn’t owe me any money,” assured Nancy. “may I ask if you are related to the Raybolts?”

“No, I’m their housekeeper,” answered the voice, now suspicious, “and I’m not answering any more questions!”

But before the housekeeper could hang up, Nancy quickly said, “you’ve been extremely helpful! I’ve just one more question. When, exactly, did Mr. Raybolt die?”

“I don’t remember the exact date,” answered the housekeeper, curtly, “it was in October or November of last year,” and then she abruptly hung up the phone.

Another dead end, thought Nancy, as she climbed the steps to her room. This case was turning out to be the most difficult and frustrating mystery she had ever worked on. It was also the most dangerous. She needed a break in the case, and she needed it soon.

Ned was stirring as she entered the bedroom, kicked off her shoes, and slid down next to him. Still half asleep, he stretched out his arm and pulled her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his waist.

“Hum,” he muttered, “This is nice.”

“Hi, sleepy head,” she whispered, “did you have a nice nap?”

“Yes,” Ned replied, stroking her hair, “how long have I been asleep?”

“Nearly two hours,” she replied, “I’ve done a lot of work in the meantime.”

“Two hours! Oh, Nancy!” exclaimed Ned, “I’m so sorry! You should have woken me up!”

“No, sweetheart,” Nancy replied, “you obviously needed to sleep. How’s your headache?”

“Gone,” said Ned, smiling, “so what have you been up to?”

Nancy told him about the recent note slipped through their mail slot, her trip to the police station, tracing Jasper’s license plate number, and discovering that Felix Rayblot had died.

“My, you have been busy!” responded Ned, “I feel terrible for not helping you!”

“You’ll have a chance to make it up to me,” she said, propping herself up on her elbow to give him a quick kiss.

“Your wish is my command, Detective Drew!” he said, returning the kiss.

It was then that she told him about Delilah and Jasper.

“I found out that their last name is Rivers and Jasper, at least, has never lived in Mapleton. I then called the Registrar’s Office at Emerson and….”

“Don’t tell me,” interrupted Ned, “they’re both flunking out.”

“No,” said Nancy, “you have to be a student to flunk out.”

“And they’re not students?” asked Ned, in a shocked voice.

“They’re not students at Emerson College,” confirmed Nancy, “not part-time or full-time.”

“This is so strange,” pondered Ned, “what’s their scheme, I wonder?”

“Another mystery to solve,” sighed Nancy, “I’m still trying to solve this revenge case and getting nowhere!”

“Well, there’s one future mystery that you’ll have no trouble solving,” said Ned, rolling over and propping himself over Nancy, gazing down into her bright blue eyes.

“And what’s that?” she said, gazing up into his brown ones.

“That I’m going to ask you a very important question in about two years,” he said, softly, “that I hope you’ll answer in the affirmative.”

“Hum,” she replied with a smile, “well, I hope you live long enough to be able to ask that very important question.”

Ned pulled back a little, a puzzled look on his face. “What do you mean?”

“Because my Dad’s due home any minute,” Nancy replied, laughing, “and if he catches us in bed together like this, he’s going to kill you!”

“You’re probably right,” agreed Ned, “so I’d better make the most of this!” and he leaned down and kissed her deeply and passionately.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, Nancy found the ad in the newspaper quickly. “Here it is,” she said to her father. Mr. Drew read it aloud:

“Studies show that Dr. Felix’s Face Cream fixes 4 out of 6 people! Who will be next?”

“Well, part of the message is not hard to guess,” said Nancy, “fixes 4 people out of 6 most likely means the people already attacked, which are Hannah, Aunt Eloise, Bess and George.”

“So, the way you figure it, two more people will be targeted,” added her father.

“Yes,” replied Nancy, “let’s see, there are many people that I’m close too but the ones that immediately come to mind would be Helen Corning Archer, Ned, of course, and you Dad.”

“Well, I suggest that we all be extremely careful,” said Mr. Drew, putting on his hat and coat and reaching for his briefcase. “I’d better be off now. I’m due in court early today.” And, kissing his daughter on the cheek, opened the front door to leave. 

“Oh, hello Ned!” he said, nearly running into the young man, “I didn’t see you there.”

“Good morning, sir,” said Ned, “I just walked up. Is Nancy awake yet?”

“Yes, she’s just finishing her breakfast,” her father said, over his shoulder, as he walked to his car, “go right in.”

When Ned entered the Drew house, he gave a shout to Nancy so as not to startle her or Hannah.

“In here, Ned,” he heard her reply.

He could see her hunched over the newspaper, her back to him as he entered the kitchen. As he came up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, placing a kiss on the side of her neck.

“Behave yourself, Mr. Nickerson,” said Nancy, smiling warmly up at him. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Yes, that would be nice,” he replied, taking the seat that her father had just vacated. Nancy reached over for the pot and poured coffee into her empty cup. Adding two teaspoons of sugar, she pushed it over to him. Then, without any prompting, Hannah entered the room carrying a stack of pancakes and set them down in front of Ned. As he beamed up at her, she patted him on the head, and left the room without saying a word.

“How is it that Hannah knew I wanted pancakes without me having to ask for them?” Ned said, pouring maple syrup on the stack and hungerly cutting into it with his fork.

“Perhaps she’s psychic,” teased Nancy, “or your drooling gave you away.”

Ned wrinkled up his nose at her and took a large bite of pancake.

“Did you sleep well?” Nancy said, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm. “How are your parents.”

“They’re very well, thank you, although they were a bit surprised to see me,” Ned replied, “since I wasn’t due back home from Emerson until next month.” 

“Oh my!” exclaimed Nancy, suddenly.

“What’s wrong? My parents know that I came down to help you, but I’ll be back in class on Monday, so no need to worry,” said Ned.

“No, it’s not that, Ned!” Nancy said, pointing to the ad, “I can’t believe it! It’s been staring me in the face all this time.”

“What has?” asked Ned, still confused. 

“Dr. Felix!” she exclaimed, “Dr. Felix’s Face Cream! Could it be that obvious?”

“Nancy, darling, would you please slow down and tell this poor dense football player what the heck you’re talking about?” moaned Ned, dramatically.

“Felix,” said Nancy, emphatically, “Dr. Felix’s Cream and Felix Raybolt. Is there a connection or is this just a coincidence?” she added, stroking her chin.

“But you said that Felix Raybolt is dead,” reminded Ned.

“But he may have relatives,” suggested Nancy, “siblings or children? Someone who may want to seek revenge for my having discovered that he was stealing from all those inventors.”

“So, what do we do next?” asked Ned.

“We go back to the library!” declared Nancy, standing up and pulling Ned along with her.

Twenty minutes later they were back in front of the Microfiche machine. “I remember that Mrs. Hayes suggested that we look at death notices and obituaries published in the newspaper because they contain a lot of information. The Raybolt housekeeper thinks that Felix Raybolt died sometime in October or November of last year.”

Ned looked over the small boxes of Microfiche film and lifted out the rolls labeled October and November. He then feed the first one into the machine. They both studied the screen as Nancy advanced the film forward, frame by frame.

Meanwhile, just around the corner, Mr. Drew’s secretary, Miss. Applegate, was handing Carson Drew his lunch. It had been ordered from the neighborhood deli and the delivery boy had just dropped it off.

“Would you like me to unpack it for you, Mr. Drew, and spread it out on your conference table?” she asked the lawyer.

“No, Miss. Applegate,” he replied, glancing out the window, “I think I’ll carry it across the street and eat in the park, today. The weather is very nice, and I need some fresh air after spending the morning in that stuffy court room.”

Miss. Applegate smiled and handed him the brown bag. “That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she said, “it will do you some good, I’m sure.”

Carson Drew walked across the street and settled himself down on a bench just along the edge of the park. He had brought the newspaper with him and, while glancing over the headlines, took out the roast beef sandwich from the bag. As he began to unwrap it, a curious squirrel hopped up next to him begging for a bite.

“This is my sandwich,” said the lawyer to the rodent. “It’s not for the likes of you.”

But the squirrel was insistent, so Carson picked off a tiny piece of the meat and extended his hand out to the squirrel, who quickly grabbed it and jumped off a few feet away to eat.

The lawyer was just about to take a bite when he heard Nancy calling out to him.

“Dad! Dad!” called Nancy, walking briskly toward him, Ned following closely behind her.

“Hi, Nancy,” Mr. Drew said, smiling at his daughter, “what’s all the excitement?”

“I’m so glad we found you! We were on our way to your office! Ned and I found Felix Raybolt’s obituary and an article about his death. It was in November’s edition of the Barton County Times.” She went on to tell him that the article had mentioned that the Raybolts were from Mapleton, Illinois, where Felix had been a very successful businessman. The couple had retired in Kansas, where his wife’s sister lived, and that Mrs. Raybolt had become quite disabled after suffering a stroke. Mr. Raybolt, himself, had suffered for several years from melancholy and had eventually decided to take his own life. 

“The article included a picture of Mr. Raybolt, and I could see that it’s the same Felix Raybolt that I confronted a few years ago!” Nancy added.

“I don’t understand the significance of all of this,” said her father, “we knew that Felix Raybolt was dead. So why all the excitement?”

“It was what was in the obituary,” said Ned, “it mentioned that Mr. Raybolt had no children but was survived by his wife, sister-in-law Mildred Brown, and a niece Delilah Rivers and her husband Jasper.”

“Husband, Jasper?” exclaimed Mr. Drew, “so they’re not brother and sister after all!”

“That’s right!” agreed Nancy, “I think we’ve got our culprits!”

“Just because they’re related to Foxy Felix doesn’t mean their guilty of revenge, Nancy,” said her father, “there could be other reasons why they’ve been so deceptive.”

“Dad, the ads in the paper are for Dr. Felix’s Face Cream,” Nancy reminded him, “and they’re signed ‘doubles’ indicating that two people are involved. I believe they used the term to mislead me into thinking that the attacks were being done by a brother and sister.”

“But why go through all the trouble?” asked Mr. Drew, “why add the brother and sister element. Wouldn’t it have been just as easy to carry out the attacks as husband and wife?”

“Yes, you could be right, Dad,” replied Nancy, thoughtfully, “I haven’t figured that out yet.”

“I think I might have the answer to that,” sighed Ned.

Nancy and her father looked over to him. Ned gazed down toward the ground, looking very solemn. He cleared his throat and said, “They needed to each be single so that they could try and break up Nancy and me.”

Nancy swallowed hard and nodded. “Of course,” she agreed, “you could be right. They must have found out that you’re my boyfriend and that you are a student at Emerson. They pretended to be enrolled there so that they could meet you. Delilah flirted with you in an attempt to break us up or, at the very least, make me jealous. Both of which were designed to hurt me.”

“Nancy,” Ned started to speak but Nancy took his hand and shook her head.

“She did succeed, somewhat,” Nancy admitted, looking into his eyes, “she did make me jealous.”

“This seems quite an elaborate plan with minimal results,” her father said, “even though it’s hurtful, Nancy, it hardly seems on the same level as the other attacks.”

“We can’t be certain that she’s finished with this part of the plan,” replied his daughter.

“I’m quite finished with her plan,” said Ned, with disgust. “I’ll not have anything more to do with her.”

“It’s no good, Nancy,” said Mr. Drew, “Being related to the Raybolts and flirting with Ned hardly constitute guilt. There’s simply no proof that she and her husband are involved in any of the attacks.”

“You’re right, of course, Dad,” agreed Nancy, “but it does give me the first real possible break in the case.”

“Ah, Mr. Drew,” Ned suddenly said, “don’t you think you’d better eat that sandwich elsewhere?”

“Why, Ned?” asked Mr. Drew, confused.

“Well, it’s not always safe to eat food around a dead animal,” said Ned, nodding over at the dead squirrel.

“Oh, God!” yelled Carson Drew, suddenly dropping his sandwich on the bench and standing up. He started brushing off his pant legs as Nancy said, “what’s wrong Dad? It’s just a dead squirrel. That’s not unusual here in the park.”

“It is when that squirrel was alive a minute ago and just ate a piece of my sandwich!” said her father.

All three of them looked down at the sandwich, now laying open on the bench. There appeared to be a layer of white powder sprinkled on top of the roast beef, which was now visible without the top layer of bread.

“That looks like strychnine,” said Ned, stooping to take a better look.

Taking a quick glance around the park, Nancy whispered, “Dad, we can’t be certain whether we’re being watched. Better play it safe and pretend that you’ve taken a bite of the sandwich.”

“And am now sick,” her father said, and he clutched his stomach and bent over. “Now what?” he whispered.

“Ned, please pick up the sandwich very carefully and take it over to the police. Lt. Miles might be able to test it and determine whether that powder is strychnine,” said Nancy, still whispering. She held onto her father, pretending to be concerned about his sudden attack. “Be very careful not to get any of the powder on your skin. We’ll meet you back at the house.”

She then turned to her father. “Dad, let’s drive you to the hospital just in case someone is watching. We’ll circle the building and then go home.”

“Sounds good, Nancy,” said her father, and he started to moan so loudly that people passing by turned their heads. One young man came forward to offer his help. Unsure as to whether he may be in league with the attackers, Nancy accepted, telling him that her father suddenly became ill and she was taking him to the hospital.

“Wouldn’t it be better for me to call an ambulance?” asked the young man.

“That won’t be necessary. But I would be grateful for your help in getting him to our car, which is right over there. It will be faster if I take him,” replied Nancy.

When the man started to insist on calling an ambulance, Mr. Drew moaned louder, frantically clutching at his stomach, and stumbling forward. The young man quickly jumped forward to help Nancy load her father into the car. Soon they were rushing to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Ned carefully collected the sandwich and placed it back in the paper bag. He also picked up the dead squirrel for testing should the white power prove to be strychnine.

“We’ll call Miss. Applegate from home and ask her whether she ordered my lunch from my usual deli,” said Carson Drew as they circled the hospital building and then headed in the direction of home.

“Let’s also ask her about the delivery boy,” added Nancy, “it would be much easier to sprinkle strychnine onto the sandwich after it left the deli than while it was being prepared.”

“Good point,” agreed her father.

“By the way,” Nancy said, chuckling, and looking over at her father, “great acting! You almost had me believing that you were poisoned!”

Carson Drew smiled back at his daughter. “Thank you. The stage lost a great actor when I decided to go into law!” 

Returning to seriousness, Nancy added, “Dad, you came so close to eating that sandwich! If Ned and I hadn’t come upon you at just the right moment, you would have been…,” her voice shook and she couldn’t finish her sentence.

“But you did, and I didn’t,” replied her father, “so every thing’s O.K., for now.”

“Yes, for now,” said Nancy, “but I’d better solve this case soon! I feel as though time is running out!”

Her father nodded but said nothing.


	9. Chapter 9

Miss. Applegate was able to verify that Mr. Drew’s lunch was, indeed, ordered from his usual deli. “Your father is particularly fond of their sandwiches,” said the secretary, in response to Nancy’s question, “so I don’t order from any place else.”

“How about the delivery boy? Was it the same one that usually delivers?” she asked.

“Well, now, that’s interesting,” replied Miss. Applegate, “he was not. When I asked after our usual boy, the man that delivered the lunch bag said that Jimmy was out sick today and he was making the deliveries.”

“What did the man look like?” asked Nancy.

“He was thin and had a bushy mustache. He looked too old to be a delivery boy, which is what caught my attention,” said the secretary, “although I thought nothing of it after he told me that he was just filling in.”

“Was he tall? What was the color of his hair?” continued Nancy.

“He was medium height, I would say. Certainly, taller than me but not as tall as your father,” she said, “I can’t tell you his hair color because he wore a cap. Is something wrong? I was surprised when Mr. Drew did not return to the office.”

“Yes,” answered Nancy, “someone tried to poison Dad but he’s fine.” She heard Miss. Applegate gasp. “He never had a chance to take a bite out of the sandwich. Which was lucky, because we think that the delivery man might have laced it with strychnine.”

“Oh dear!” cried the secretary.

“Here, I’ll put Dad on the phone, Miss. Applegate,” said Nancy, “I’m sure he’ll want to speak with you,” and she handed the phone receiver to her father.

After a rather lengthy phone conversation, Mr. Drew finally hung up the phone and found Nancy opening the front door to Ned.

“Well, the police tested the power immediately and we were right,” exclaimed Ned, “it was strychnine! They’re on their way to question the folks at the deli, now.”

“Let’s go and see if we can join them, Ned!” said Nancy, “do you want to come, Dad?”

“No, I think I’ll finish some of my work here at home,” replied her father, “Miss. Applegate is bringing me the paperwork in the next few minutes and I still need to eat lunch!” he said as he turned toward the Drew’s kitchen, “preferably without strychnine this time!” 

Nancy and Ned arrived at the deli just in time to follow the police inside. After several minutes of questioning the manager and looking at the rest of the meat in the store, the police were just about to wrap things up when Nancy turned to the manager.

“Is Jimmy here?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied the deli manager, “he’s out on a delivery at the moment but should be back shortly.”

Nancy looked over at the two police detectives and said, “the man who made the delivery to my father’s office was not Jimmy. In fact, he told the secretary that Jimmy was sick and that he was filling in for him.”

The manager replied, “that’s not possible. Jimmy is here today and, whenever he is out sick, I made the deliveries myself. I don’t hire ‘fill-in’ help.”

“Well, in that case,” said one of the detectives, “I think we’ll just wait for Jimmy to return.”

Jimmy arrived 10 minutes later to find Nancy, Ned, two police detectives, and his boss waiting to question him. At first, he pretended that he didn’t know anything about the delivery to Mr. Drew. However, after some pointed questions from the manager, he finally admitted that he had been about a block away from the deli when a man approached him.

“He told me that he was Mr. Drew’s brother from out of town and wanted to surprise him by pretending to be a delivery boy bringing him his lunch,” the boy admitted.

“And you believed him?” asked Nancy.

“Yeah, sure,” answered Jimmy, “at first I wasn’t going to give him the bag because it’s against shop policy,” said the young man glancing over at his manager, “but the guy handed me a five dollar bill and said that if he was lying then Mr. Drew would probably call the deli and the money would cover the cost of another sandwich. That sounded like it made sense, so I gave him the bag.”

“Did you see him make the delivery?” asked the police detective.

“No, I went back to the deli to pick up another order,” replied the youth.

“What did the man look like,” asked Ned.

“He had on a gray jacket and a cap,” said Jimmy, thinking hard, “he was kind of skinny and had a big mustache. He wore sunglasses. That’s all I can remember.”

“Do you think it’s Jasper?” asked Ned, as they drove home. 

“Could be,” replied Nancy, “I just wish we had proof.”

When they arrived home, Hannah told them that there had been two phone calls for Nancy. The first was from Bess. She was home from the hospital and wondered if Nancy could stop by and see her when she got the chance. The second was from Grace Waters, the handwriting expert from the police department. Hannah also mentioned that Mr. Graves had dropped off the photo of the last letter written by the suspects and that the envelope was on the little table in the hallway. 

Nancy opened the envelope and studied the photograph. Just like he did before, Mr. Graves had enlarged the picture so that Nancy could study the letter in detail.

“A thought just occurred to me,” she said, turning to Ned, “we ran into Delilah and Jasper at the diner on the same day this letter was slipped through our mail slot.”

“That’s right,” said Ned, snapping his fingers, “I remember being surprised to see them in River Heights and I certainly didn’t believe Jasper’s forgotten textbook story! Do you think that they slipped the letter in the slot?”

“Well, they had the opportunity,” answered Nancy, “I just need to discover whether they have a motive.”

With Ned following behind, she entered her father’s study where Mr. Drew was busy working.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Dad,” she said, “but I wonder if it’s possible to find out what’s in someone’s will.”

“By ‘someone’, you mean Felix Raybolt?” asked her father, smiling.

“Yes. Would it be possible for you to track down the will and find out what’s in it?” asked Nancy.

“Well, I can’t make any promises,” replied Mr. Drew, “but I’ll make a few calls and see what I can find out.”

Next, Nancy picked up the phone and called Grace Water’s at the police station.

“I’ve analyzed the letters and can go over the results at your convenience,” said the police grapologist.

“Would you be available now if I came down within the next few minutes?” said Nancy, not wanting to waste any more time.

“Yes, that would be fine,” replied Miss. Waters, “I’ll see you shortly.”

Ned and Nancy arrived at the police station 10 minutes later and, upon entering Miss. Water’s office, saw that she had the letters spread out over a large table and a folder containing the written results of her analysis.

“It’s all in here,” she said, handing Nancy the folder, “but I will give you a summary of what I found.”

As Ned and Nancy sat down, Grace Waters started her explanation. “The notes clearly show the psychological make-up of the writer, even though the individual tried to disguise their handwriting by using block letters.”

Nancy nodded and leaned forward as the grapologist continued. “first note the size of each letter. They are very large in size and include quite large angular loops. Now, note the gap around the bottom of the lowercase “d’s”, and the lack of closure with the “s’s” and “a’s”.”

Ned and Nancy leaned closer to the notes, intently studying each of them.

“The most interesting detail to see is the inconsistency of the writing throughout,” continued Miss. Waters, “if you look very closely, you will see that some of the letters are written over or, in some cases, corrections attempted. And, finally, the writer appears to be playing with their handwriting. In a manner of speaking, this is a person who has no clear handwriting style themselves and is practicing or attempting to create one. Unfortunately, this person will never be satisfied with their results so attempts to establish their own style will never be successful.”

“What does this all mean?” asked Ned, feeling completely lost.

“It means that the author of your letters is a Sociopath,” answered Miss. Waters, “without a doubt.”

“A person without real human emotion,” said Nancy, softly and thoughtfully, “could this person be very dangerous if provoked?”

“They’re not necessarily killers, if that’s what you mean,” answered Miss. Waters, “however, I wouldn’t rule it out. Sociopath’s have no remorse about what they do in order to save themselves. They would have no qualms about killing if they felt it was necessary.” 

“Do you believe that the letters are written by only one individual?” Nancy asked.

“Yes, without a doubt,” answered Miss. Waters, “all of these were written by the same person.” 

Nancy thanked Miss. Waters for her report saying that her analysis was invaluable, and she and Ned were soon on their way.

“Should we drop by Bess’s on our way home?” said Nancy, looking over at Ned as he skillfully drove the car through the crowded streets of downtown River Heights. 

“I’ve got to run a few errands, Nancy,” replied Ned, “why don’t I drop you off and meet you later at your house.”

“For dinner?” smiled Nancy.

“If you’ll have me,” grinned Ned, reaching over and squeezing her hand.

“You know you’re always welcome,” said Nancy, as Ned pulled up to the curb in front of the Marvin home. Nancy leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before hopping out of the   
car and walking up the steps.

“Nancy!” called her friend, “I’m so glad you stopped by! I was hoping you would!”

“You look great!” said Nancy, giving Bess a gentle hug, “I bet you’re glad to finally be home!”

“You can say that again,” sighed Bess, “the food was bad enough but not nearly as bad as having to endure all those needles! I hate needles! I would just cringe whenever the nurse   
had to change my IV.”

As she led them into the livingroom, Nancy noticed that Bess was limping. Looking down, she saw that Bess had her foot bandaged where she had broken two of her toes.

“Oh, they’re healing very nicely!” said Bess, noticing Nancy’s glance. “In a few weeks, the doctors will remove the bandages and I’ll be ready for dancing!” she added with a smile.

As they settle down on the couch, Nancy asked about George.

“She’s doing much better! They’ve moved her out of ICU and into a regular room. I was going to visit her tomorrow morning. Would you like to come along?”

“I’d love too!” exclaimed Nancy, “I’m so glad she’s recovering well. I’ve been so worried about both of you!”

“Well, having a friend as a detective has made us pretty tough, I suppose,” said Bess, and then added with a shudder, “but I don’t mind telling you that I’d prefer never to crash over a cliff in a tumbling car again!”

Later that night, after dinner was finished, and the dishes washed and put away, Nancy and Ned joined Mr. Drew in his study.

“Well, Nancy,” started her father, “it took me nearly a dozen phone calls but I was finally able to reach the Raybolt’s lawyer.”

“Oh, Dad!” exclaimed Nancy, “does this mean that you found out the contents of Felix Raybolt’s will?”

“Yes,” replied Carson Drew, “and it’s just as you suspected. The way the will was written, Felix Raybolt left a substantial amount of his wealth to his wife, and a small allowance to   
his niece, Delilah Rivers. Upon the death of his wife, his entire estate would pass to Delilah.”

“Therein lies the motive,” mused Nancy.

“Yes,” replied her father.

“But it doesn’t actually prove that she and Jasper are involved in any of these attempts,” said Ned, and then, suspecting that Nancy might interpret his words to mean that he was taking sides with Delilah, added, “I mean, she can’t be held responsible for what her uncle puts in his will.”

Nancy smiled at him and said, “You’re right, Ned. We have no physical evidence that connects either of them to the attacks, but it does strengthen the case to know that they have a motive.” 

“So, what do we do now?” asked a relieved Ned.

“Get proof,” answered Nancy, thinking out loud, “we catch them in the act or get them to confess!”

“I don’t like the sound of that!” said her father. “These are dangerous people we’re dealing with and you could get seriously hurt, Nancy!”

“I know, Dad,” she answered, “and I promise to be extra careful. But we must do something before anyone else get hurt! We’ll have to come up with a plan to trap our suspects, somehow!”

The next morning, Nancy pulled up in front of the Marvin house to find Bess ready and waiting. It was Sunday and the roads were nearly empty as the girls drove to the hospital to visit George.

“Has Ned returned to Emerson, yet?” Bess asked Nancy as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.

“No, not yet,” answered Nancy, “he’s to come over later this morning, after he has breakfast with his parents, before he takes off for Emerson. I’ve really enjoyed having him around these past two days. I’m going to miss him!”

“Yes, it must have been nice to have had his help,” said Bess, with a smile.

“It’s more than that, really,” replied Nancy, hesitantly. She paused trying to find her words and then gave up, saying, “I can’t explain it.”

Bess raised her eyebrows and looked over at her friend.

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” said Bess, “I’ve seen the two of you together. You’re like an old married couple, finishing each other sentences, and anticipating each other’s thoughts.”

“We’re not that bad!” Nancy exclaimed, blushing.

“Bad!” said Bess, “you’re much worse! I’m not sure I’ll be able to stand you both when you’re really married! You two will be absolutely sickening to be around,” she teased.

“Who says we’ll ever get married?” asked Nancy, smiling.

“Oh, if it were up to Ned, you’d already be married,” replied Bess, “it’s you that I can’t figure out! But if you ever come to your senses, name your first child after me.”

“You’re incorrigible!” Nancy said to Bess, as they entered George’s room.

“I agree!” agreed George, from her hospital bed, “Bess IS incorrigible!” she added looking affectionately at her friends.

“George!” exclaimed Nancy, “you look great! How do you feel?” she asked as both she and Bess leaned over and gave her a hug.

“Like a bulldozer ran over me,” answered George, “but raring to get out of here!”

Nancy and Bess chuckled. “Typical,” sighed Bess, “George, they’ll let you out of here when you’re well enough to leave.”

“Which should be in about two weeks,” George replied, “at least, that’s what the doctors tell me.”

“They’re probably hoping to be rid of you by then,” teased her cousin.

“I see they didn’t keep you very long?” teased George, in return.

“Well, I’m glad everything’s back to normal between you two!” joked Nancy, looking from Bess to George. 

“Only because George had the courage and skill to save both our lives,” said Bess, suddenly becoming serious. She looked down at George and patted her arm.

“Nonsense,” replied George, embarrassed, “we just got lucky, Bess.”

“Not true!” Nancy interjected, “you both could have been killed in an accident such as that. Even the police think so. George, if it hadn’t been for your courage and quick thinking, well,” Nancy’s voice shook a bit, “I can’t think what might have happened!”

“Oh, for heaven sake,” responded, George, turning deep red, “can we just not think about it for a while and talk about something else, please?”

The girls broke out in laughter at George’s misery but changed the subject. Nancy updated them on the case and her suspicions concerning Delilah and Jasper. The time flew by and it was soon time for them to leave.

“We’ll come again soon,” said Bess, giving George a quick hug.

“And I’ll bring along a hammer and chisel baked in a cake,” whispered Nancy in George’s ear as she, too, gave her a hug, “so that you can break out of here!”

“Promise?” whispered George in return.

When Nancy pulled her car into her driveway, after dropping Bess off, she noticed Ned’s vehicle parked at the curb. She found Ned in the kitchen, helping Hannah bake biscuits.   
He was wearing Nancy’s apron, which was entirely too small for him, and was covered from head to toe in flour. A lock of hair had fallen across his forehead and his eyebrows were knitted together in concentration.

When Nancy started to laugh, he looked up smiling and put down the rolling pin he had been using. 

“Come here,” he said, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing her cheek.

“Now look what you’ve done, you nut!” laughed Nancy, now also covered in flour. “I’ll have to go upstairs and change!”

At that moment, Hannah returned to the kitchen carrying a frying pan. She shook her head at the pair.

“Ned Nickerson! How is it that you managed to get more flour on yourself than in the biscuits?” she said, and then added, “and I don’t even want to know how Nancy got covered in it! You’d better change, young lady, before your father comes home and starts asking questions.” 

This made Nancy and Ned laugh even harder until they heard Mr. Drew’s car roll into the driveway causing Nancy to sprint upstairs to change. 

Nancy avoided talking about the case and lunch was a relaxed affair. Soon it was time for Ned to return to Emerson and Nancy walked him to his car. 

“I really hate that you’re leaving me,” sighed Nancy, taking hold of his hand.

“I’m never leaving you, Nancy,” replied Ned, gruffly, “I’ll just be temporarily out of sight for a while.”

Nancy chuckled. “I wish I could kiss you, but we’re standing out in the front yard and my father would be upset if anyone saw us.”

“I think we should risk it,” smiled Ned, and started to lean down toward her. Just then, Mr. Drew came out on the porch, with his sweater in hand. 

“Nancy, would you please go into the garage and see if I left my coat in the car,” he asked his daughter.

Puzzled, Nancy agreed and motioned for Ned to wait. But, as she turned in the direction of the house, Mr. Drew said, “you should probably ask Ned to help you. After all, I don’t want you to miss it! It’s getting a bit cold, today.”

“Cold?” she started to say to her father, “Dad, it’s…” and then she saw the gleam in his eyes and understood.

It was nearly ten minutes before Ned and Nancy emerged from the garage and, with a final wave, Ned was on his way.

“Thanks, Dad,” said Nancy to her father, as she entered the house.

“For what?” he said, feigning innocence, and then getting up and handing his sweater to Nancy, he said, “hang this up for your poor old Dad, will you Nancy? It’s hot outside,” and with that, he left the house to return to his law office.


	10. Chapter 10

The next day, Bess and Nancy were back at the hospital visiting George. George was sitting up in her bed, prodding a small mound of Jello.

“So, what’s our next move?” she asked.

“Well, I have to create an opportunity for the suspects, whoever they are, to attempt another attack.”

“Do you have doubts that the culprits are Delilah and Jasper?” asked Bess.

“No, but I need proof,” answered Nancy, “suspicion isn’t enough.”

“Isn’t this rather dangerous?” asked Bess.

“Not if I plan it so that we have plenty of help from the police,” said Nancy, thoughtfully, “and we are very, very careful. After all, Miss. Waters believes that at least one of the culprits is a Sociopath bent on revenge.”

“What kind of attack do you think they’ll try next?” asked George.

“I have no idea,” replied Nancy, “but, since each attack is supposed to be worse than the last, I imagine that it could result in permanent injury or even murder!”

“O.K.,” replied George, “we’ll be ready!”

“Whoa there, friend,” Nancy said, holding a hand up to George, “you’re in no condition to participant this time.”

George frowned, “That’s hardly fair!” she said, but then mentioned, “but I can help in the planning, can’t I?”

“Yes,” replied Nancy, “you can! I can use all the help I can get on this one!”

For the next two hours, the friends went over various plans, weighing the pros and cons of each. Finally, it was decided that an outdoor garden party might be the best option.

“The River Height’s Country Club is surrounded by woods. That would give the police a place to hide and not be noticed,” said Nancy.

“They could also pretend to be servers and party guests,” added Bess.

“Exactly,” agreed Nancy.

“What excuse will we use for throwing a party?” asked George.

They thought for a moment and then Nancy said, “how about we announce that the case has been solved and we’re celebrating! That should get Delilah’s and Jasper’s attention if, indeed, they are guilty.”

“Perfect!” chuckled George, “if they’re innocent, no harm done. They’ll just enjoy the party like everyone else.”

“And if they’re guilty, they won’t be able to resist the temptation to prove you wrong, Nancy!” added Bess.

During the next several days, the country club was reserved, food ordered, musicians booked, and invitations sent out. Nancy called Chief McGinnis to arrange the cooperation of the police. 

At first, the Chief was not in favor of the plan but, in the end, he had to agree that this might be their best hope to catch the criminals. 

“I’m not happy about this,” said Chief McGinnis, “it’s awfully risky but at least I can put several of our officers on the premises. We want to nab these scoundrels as much as you do, Nancy!”

Later that evening, during one of their nightly phone conversations, Nancy said to Ned, “it’s next Saturday so please plan on coming,” she pleaded.

“Are you kidding?” Ned chuckled, “I wouldn’t miss it for the world! I can’t wait to see you take down Mr. and Mrs. Rivers when they find out that their dangerous game is over!”

“You’ll have to be the one to invite Delilah and Jasper,” she told him, “if I do it, they’ll get suspicious.”

“I dread the thought,” replied Ned, “but I guess it’s the only way.”

“We’ll have to be careful,” she warned, “we need to catch them in the act but before they can actually hurt someone.”

On the night of the party, the weather was pleasantly warm with a slight breeze blowing across the highly manicured grounds. Darkness was just falling, and a full moon was making its way up into the night sky. Bright lights illuminated the patio and party area, and several guests were already enjoying refreshments and soft music coming from the small orchestra.

Police officers, disguised as waiters and carrying large trays of drinks and hor d’oeuvres, flowed between guests. Lt. Lucy Gamble, posing as a hired party photographer, was taking pictures and Chief McGinnis had stationed half a dozen officers in the adjoining woods for surveillance and additional assistance, if needed. 

Nancy felt they had done everything possible to protect their guests while setting a trap for the assailants.

“Gee, this would be a wonderful party if I didn’t know that something sinister was about to happen!” Bess whispered to Nancy.

“I know what you mean,” replied Nancy, glancing around, “but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try and enjoy ourselves while we stay alert,” she added with a weak smile.

“Oh, look!” Bess said, nodding in the direction of the driveway, “there’s Ned.”

Ned was stepping out of the car and handing his keys to the Valet, when Delilah stepped from the passenger side. She had taken special care in her makeup and attire and look positively glamorous. 

As Nancy approached the couple, Ned shot her a warning glance, which Nancy knew meant “Play it cool. I’ll explain later.” She had had to shoot the same glance at Ned during several of her previous cases. 

“Ned!” she exclaimed, extending her hand out and adding, somewhat formally, “how nice of you to come.”

“Nancy!” answered Ned, shaking her hand and then reaching over to guide Delilah forward. “And here’s my date for the evening. You remember Delilah, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course,” replied Nancy, nodding to the beautiful woman standing before her. Delilah was glowing with triumph as she looked Nancy up and down.

“Thanks so much for inviting us,” oozed Delilah, “and what an interesting gown you’re wearing. Don’t you just adore last year’s fashions?” and, sliding her arm into Ned’s, she started to turn toward the party when Nancy stopped them to ask whether Jasper was coming.

“Oh, no, honey,” Delilah answered, “he had something important to do and won’t be able to make it,” and then added, with a smirk, “but I’m sure one of these other nice gentlemen will consent to be your escort for the evening.” 

As they walked away, Ned glanced over his shoulder at Nancy with a look of embarrassed misery. But Nancy smiled back at him, reassuringly. “Delilah is working pretty hard tonight to try and upset me,” she thought to herself, “perhaps she’s not as sure of herself as she’s pretending to be.”

The evening progressed without incident as the guests enjoyed the music and refreshments. The dancing started about an hour later and Nancy danced with several partners, but never with Ned. 

However, Nancy was anxious to talk with him, and she was finally able to grab the chance while Ned glanced over the refreshment table. 

“Well?” whispered Nancy.

“We should have expected it, Nancy,” Ned whispered back, “when I called Delilah to invite her to the party, she insisted that it was a date. I decided to play along with her, this time. I didn’t want to risk her not coming. I’m terribly sorry!”

“Don’t be,” assured Nancy, “although I hate seeing you with her, I think you did the right thing. It feeds into her psychosis and might enable us to catch her with her guard down. What’s this about Jasper?”

“I don’t know,” answered Ned, “I thought I’d be picking up both of them, but when I arrived Delilah informed me that Jasper had other plans.”

“Interesting,” was all Nancy could say. Did that mean that the River’s were innocent? Or perhaps, they knew something was up and didn’t want to take the chance of being captured together? Nancy wished she knew the answer.

Picking up a piece of meat with a toothpick, Ned said, under his breath, “I love you, Nancy, with all my heart,” and then he turned and walked toward Delilah who was busy flirting with a group of men.

Looking at his retreating figure, Nancy mumbled to herself, “I love you too, Ned Nickerson. Please be careful.”

Nancy stood near the edge of the party, talking to a small group of friends, all the while surveying the area. She was starting to give up hope that their trap would be sprung and, if the attackers did not strike soon, wondered what she could possibly do next. 

It was Ned who first spotted the car moving up the street. It slowed as it came within a few yards of the party. At first, he thought that another party guest was being dropped off and he nearly looked away. But, suddenly, he saw the light from the street lamp reflect off something metallic just pointing out from the open car window. Call it intuition or a heightened sense of awareness, but Ned knew that it was a gun. A gun pointing straight at Nancy. 

He jumped over the patio railing and took two running steps across the yard in her direction.

Bang….

The first bullet whizzed by her ear, blowing through her hair. Nancy thought that a bug was buzzing her, and she was lifting her hand to swat it away when she heard the second shot. 

Bang….

Ned took a flying leap and tackled Nancy. As they fell, he felt the second bullet tear through his shoulder. Nancy felt herself being thrown to the ground. 

Bang….

The third shot struck Ned in the ribs, just below his heart, and embedded itself into his lung. 

Then there was the screeching sound of tires as the car sped away, screams of those around them, running footsteps, and the heavy weight of Ned’s body on top of her. 

Nancy slid out from under him, rolling him over and onto her lap. It was then that she noticed all the blood. They were both covered in it. She saw the two wounds. The chest wound looked the worse, and she pressed one hand on it, trying to stop the bleeding. She looked up to see Matthew Whittaker, a medical student, kneel down, and place his fingers on Ned’s throat to take his pulse.

She wrapped her other arm around Ned’s shoulders, cradling him in her arms, as he lay across her lap.

“No!” she was saying to herself. “No, no, no, no!”

Someone must have called an ambulance because the night was suddenly filled with the sounds of sirens. Matthew looked over at Nancy and whispered, “he’s alive but his pulse is very faint. He’s losing quite a lot of blood. I’m not sure he’s going to make it, Nancy. I’m terribly sorry.”

Nancy could only nod, tears streaming down her face. As Matthew turned to look for the ambulance, Nancy clung harder to Ned and whispered, “Please Ned, please! Hang on! Don’t leave me! Please don’t leave me. Please, Ned. Stay with me! I love you!”

Suddenly the ambulance was there, and Ned was being pulled off her lap and onto a stretcher. The medics were cutting away his shirt and applying pressure on his wounds trying to stop the bleeding. Ned was then lifted into the back of the ambulance, and an oxygen mask was placed on his face. One of the medics reached for a bag of blood to begin a transfusion but suddenly his face went pale.

“Bob, we don’t have any O neg to give him,” whispered Ted.

“What? That’s impossible! I replenished the stock myself,” replied Bob, also whispering.

“That was before we went to that car accident. Remember? We used it all up on that other patient and then got this call.” 

“Geeze, what do we have? This guy’s definitely not going to make it without an immediate transfusion,” said Bob.

“We don’t have any type that will work,” replied Ted, frantically searching the shelves.

“O negative?” said Bess, who had been hovering over Nancy and overheard the discussion between the medics. “That would be me. Help me aboard, fellas, and hook me up!”

The relieved medics helped her into the back of the ambulance and began preparations for a person-to-person blood transfusion. “You’re going to owe me one, Nickerson,” said Beth, looking over at the unconscious Ned. 

Her dress completely covered in Ned’s blood, Nancy, still sitting on the ground, looked up at Delilah standing on the patio a few feet away. And Delilah was laughing.

“You may have succeeded in taking Ned away from me but you’re not going to get away with it!” said Nancy to herself and, pushing off the ground, she started to sprint toward Delilah. When Delilah saw her coming, she turned and started running off in the opposite direction, down a cobbled walkway, and into the dark woods.

“Delilah!” yelled Nancy, chasing after her, “it’s no use! I know all about you and Jasper!”

Delilah let out a sound that sounded like something between a cackle and a laugh. It sent a shiver up Nancy’s spine as she raced to catch up with the young woman.

The woods were dark and the narrow path not easy to navigate. Nancy was thankful that she had worn slippers with low heels in anticipation of having to run if the situation warranted it. Despite this, she still tripped over hidden roots, and the tree limbs and bramble tore at her dress. 

A few yards in front of her, Delilah was having the same difficulty and Nancy had no trouble keeping her within sight. Delilah was wearing a white gown with flowing sleeves and, as she ran through the darkened woods, she resembled a ghostly apparition.

“This is not exactly how I had hoped to take her down,” thought Nancy, “but she WILL pay for what she’s done, if it’s the last thing I do!” and, with determination, increased her speed. She started to gain on Delilah. 

Suddenly, the two women ran into a large clearing along the edge of a cliff. Nancy had Delilah cornered.

“Time to give up,” she said.

Delilah moved to the edge of the cliff. “Oh, you think so, do you, Nancy Drew?” she responded.

“Yes, Delilah,” replied Nancy, “as you can see, you’ve run out of ground. You have no choice but to give up!”

Delilah dangled one foot over the edge and started to laugh. “You thought you were so smart, didn’t you? But I was smarter!” said Delilah, “you were all puppets and I pulled the strings!”

“Delilah,” said Nancy, fighting to control her voice and keep it level and calm, “the police know everything you and your husband have done. Come, let’s walk back to the house,” she said, extending her hand out to Delilah.

“You don’t know EVERYTHING, Nancy Drew!” retorted Delilah, “like how I took Ned Nickerson away from you! He loved me and wanted to be with me!” she laughed and started moving slowly toward Nancy, putting the young detective on her guard. Nancy didn’t quite know what Delilah was doing but she was going to be prepared for anything.

“He couldn’t stop kissing me,” hissed Delilah, “he’s quite a kisser, isn’t he? But how would you know? He’s never kissed you like he’s kissed me!”

Nancy knew this game. Delilah was trying to make her lose her temper and put her off her guard. Nancy decided to turn the tables on her.

“Is that why Jasper shot him, Delilah?” asked Nancy.

“Jasper’s an idiot!” scoffed his wife, “he was supposed to kill you! How were we to know that Nickerson would try and be a hero!”

“And now Ned may die,” said Nancy, “that’s a murder rap, Delilah, for you and Jasper.”

Delilah just shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not like this would be the first time we’ve killed someone, Nancy Drew,” she said, turning back toward the cliff’s edge, slipping her hands into the hidden pockets of her gown.

“What do you mean,” asked Nancy, newly alarmed.

Delilah raised her chin, looked up at the sky, and let out a loud laugh. 

“You really aren’t very smart, are you?” she scoffed, “not the bright detective everyone thinks you are!”

Nancy stared at the woman for a moment and then said, “I think you’re bluffing. You haven’t killed anyone.”

“Oh, please,” yawned Delilah, “this is getting ridiculous! But I’ll play,” and leaning toward Nancy, she said, “can you guess who it is we’ve killed?”

Nancy went over, in her mind, all the possible victims. She knew that, although some were severely injured, her friends had survived their attacks. Then a thought came to her.   
“Felix Raybolt!” she said to Delilah, “he didn’t take his own life! You and Jasper killed him!”

Delilah laughed, “Good guess! Perhaps you’re not that dumb after all!”

Nancy was horrified but she didn’t show it. “Why? For the money you thought was in his will?” she asked.

“Of course! Uncle Felix was supposed to be loaded!” she snarled, “and he was until you made him pay it all back to those stupid inventors!”

“But, Delilah,” Nancy said, “Mrs. Raybolt is his next of kin. She would have gotten a good portion of the money.”

“Oh, we took care of that, too, although it didn’t come out like we planned.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nancy. She thought she might have heard some rustling among the trees. Were the police finally arriving? She had to keep Delilah talking!

“That was Jasper’s fault! The fool couldn’t get the amount of strychnine right and didn’t give Aunt Marie enough to kill her, just paralyze her,” Delilah exclaimed, “but, no matter, since everyone just thought she had a stroke. She’s frail now and won’t last too much longer. We would have gotten all of the money, eventually.”

She really is insane, Nancy said to herself. Delilah continued, “that’s why I was the one to put the poison in your father’s sandwich! We couldn’t take any more chances! How was I to know that dear old dad would poison a squirrel instead.”

Suddenly Delilah heard the rustling too and, moving closer to Nancy, she pulled a gun from her pocket, pointing it directly at Nancy’s forehead.

“Enough of this, Nancy Drew! I’m going to finish you off myself,” she said, tightening her grip on the trigger of the gun, “and I must warn you, I don’t miss!”

A twig snapped somewhere among the trees, causing Delilah to look away for a split second, and Nancy saw her chance. She lunged forward, throwing herself against Delilah, and grabbed for the gun. 

Delilah was surprisingly strong and the struggle that ensued was fierce. Nancy realized that she was fighting for her life and used all her strength to keep Delilah from gaining control. As they struggled, Delilah, looking over her shoulder, realized that they had moved very close to the edge of the cliff. She suddenly stopped fighting and, clutching Nancy’s wrists, stood still and smiled at her. Nancy, caught by surprise, also stopped fighting and, in that moment, Delilah flung herself and Nancy off the edge of the cliff. 

The three police officers running into the clearing heard a scream and then a thud. 

“Oh, geeze!” said the Lieutenant, “I guess we’re too late!”

They carefully walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down.

“Well, I’ll be!” exclaimed the Sargent, dropping down on his belly and stretching his arm down the side.

A foot below hung Nancy, hands grasping a tree root, her legs dangling in the air.

“Hi fellas!” she smiled upward, “a little help, please?”

Nancy finally reached the hospital four hours after Ned had been taken there by ambulance. She was still wearing the blood covered gown, but she was unmindful of the stares as she walked down the corridors on her way to his room. She was frantic to know his condition, so hadn’t even considered stopping to change. When the hospital’s receptionist told her that Ned was no longer in the Emergency Room, and had been moved to room 306, on the third floor, she started breathing again. 

His room was dark and, at first, she didn’t see Edith Nickerson sitting at her son’s bedside. She turned, though, as Nancy silently entered.

“Oh, it's you, Nancy,” she whispered, “come on in. He’s sleeping.”

Nancy crept quietly toward the bed and looked down at the man she loved more than life itself.

“Oh,” was all she could say, the realization of what had happened causing her knees to weaken. Mrs. Nickerson quickly put her arms around Nancy and lowered her into a chair. 

“He’s going to be alright,” said Mrs. Nickerson, “thankfully Bess had the right blood type for an immediate transfusion in the ambulance, so Ned was receiving blood even before he got to the hospital. They tell me that’s what most likely saved him.” 

“Mrs. Nickerson, I…” Nancy couldn’t finish her sentence. The day had all been too much. The case, Jasper shooting at her, holding the dying Ned in her arms, struggling to get the gun away from Delilah, falling over the side of the cliff, Delilah’s crumpled dead body at the bottom, the lateness of the hour, and now facing Ned’s mother. Nancy was exhausted. It really, really, was too much.

Thankfully, Mrs. Nickerson didn’t expect an explanation, or any conversation, from Nancy. Seeing her son’s blood covering the young woman’s torn party dress, the scrapes and bruises on her arms and hands, and the relieved but exhausted look in her eyes, Mrs. Nickerson decided not to press her. She reached out and held Nancy’s hand as Nancy fell asleep in the chair.

“Hey, Drew,” said a low masculine voice, “no sleeping together in my bed!”

Nancy awoke and lifted her head to see Ned looking at her fondly. It was morning, and she had apparently slept slumped over in her chair, with her arms and head resting on his bed. He had been stroking her hair to wake her. Although still pale, he looked wonderful. She, however, knew she looked awful and she tried to run her fingers through her hair and brush down her dress.

“No need to worry, Miss. Drew,” Ned said, smiling, “you always look gorgeous to me!”

“Ned!” she said, looking at him in amazement, “I’m so glad your…” but instead of finishing her sentence, she leaned over and kissed him. Then, remembering his mother, she glanced around the room.

“She’s gone down to get some breakfast. She told me that she’ll bring you some and that I shouldn’t wake you until then,” he said, “but I couldn’t resist. I longed to hear your voice and look into those gorgeous blue eyes of yours! I love you, Nancy Drew!”

“Oh, Ned!” said Nancy, “I love you too. So very much! When I thought I had lost you, I didn’t know what to do!” 

They didn’t say anything for several minutes, and held hands, gazing at each other.

Ned finally broke the silence, “What are you thinking about, right now?”

“How fetching you look in that hospital gown,” teased Nancy.

“No, really, Nancy, “said Ned, now more seriously, “you have something on your mind. Tell me.”

Nancy paused for a moment and then said, “I was thinking about the numerous times that you’ve had to save me. Busting through walls, or tackling a bad guy, or jumping in front of a bullet,” said Nancy sadly.

“I’ve never busted through a wall to save you!” responded Ned, his eyebrows knitted together.

“Oh yes you have, Nickerson!” replied Nancy, chuckling as she thought back to one of her cases. “Remember, you asked Diana Dight to the Emerson Dance, instead of me, and I ended up locked in an old attic, bound and gagged, in the company of a Tarantula.”

“Wait, before you go on,” interrupted Ned, “I was tricked into asking Diana Dight because you told me…I mean, she told me…..pretending to be you….that you couldn’t go because you would be out of town. I never really wanted to go with her.”

“O.K., well, we’ll skip the details,” said Nancy, “but there you were, crashing through the wall between the two attics, scooping me up into your arms, and stepping on the spider.”

“Ah, yes,” Ned smiled, “I remember now. I was desperate to find you! And I won’t have if you hadn’t banged your heels against the wall.”

“I remember thinking how good it felt to be in your arms,” she smiled wistfully, “and how the relieved expression on your face soften your brown eyes as you held me. How utterly handsome you looked!” Nancy brought her hand to his face and stroked his cheek.

Ned was smiling at her. “We hadn’t been dating for very long and I remember grabbing your hand as the other’s rushed out and asking you if you were truly alright. I think I startled you, because you blushed deeply. Gosh, I’ve never told you this, but I wanted to take you in my arms, then and there, and kiss you!”

Nancy chuckled at Ned’s confession. She had been attracted to Ned from the very beginning, but it had taken her awhile to get used to the ease in which he showered her with affection. Looking back on it now, it seemed silly, but back then she blushed a lot.

Over their years together, he had risked his life often to save hers. He jumped in without hesitation or thought for his own safety. Her greatest fear was that he would be seriously injured, or worse, killed one day. He came so close to dying last night. What would she ever do without him?

“So, now I’m going to ask you the same question,” said Nancy, “and it’s alright if you blush. Are you really O.K.?” 

“Well, the bullet that hit my shoulder went right through but didn’t do much damage. I’ll have to wear a sling for several weeks, though, so that it’ll heal properly,” Ned replied, looking toward his shoulder. “They removed the bullet from my left lung last night, which was a bit dicey, but I should be O.K. in a few days. The bandage wrapped around my chest almost hurts worse than getting shot,” he added, smiling.

“Ned, what made you jump in front of me and take the bullets yourself?” asked Nancy, “you could have been killed!”

“And let you be killed, instead?” Ned said, gruffly, “absolutely no way, Nancy. No way in hell was I going to let you get shot. Don’t even think about it!”

“Don’t you understand?” she said empathically, “I don’t think I could have gone on living without you!”

“And you think I could have gone on living without you?” Ned said in return.

“Well, I guess you’re both stuck with each other then,” came a voice from the door, “but I’d feel better if Nancy’s job didn’t involve bullets.” Nancy and Ned looked up to see Mrs. Nickerson entering with a stack of styrofoam containers with breakfast items for both she and Nancy. Ned, unfortunately, had to eat from the hospital tray that was brought in a few moments later, a situation that caused him to sulk until Nancy slipped him several pieces of her bacon.

“Mrs. Nickerson, I’m so terribly sorry that this happened to Ned,” Nancy said after a while to Edith, “I’ve been so scared that we had lost him,” and here her voice shook, “I would never, ever, want anything to happen to him!”

“I know, Nancy dear,” replied Mrs. Nickerson, “you had no way to know that some lunatic would start shooting at you. And, of course, if Ned’s anywhere near you, he’s going to try and save you.”

Nancy and Ned looked at each other and wondered how much of their previous conversation his mother had heard.

“It’s just that he’s our only child,” Edith Nickerson continued, “and he’s made it clear that he won’t marry anyone else but you, Nancy. And, well, James and I would love to have a couple of grandchildren, someday, so we need you both to stay alive for at least the next several years!”

“Mother!” exclaimed Ned, embarrassed.

Nancy blushing, said nothing, and looked out the window. 

Edith Nickerson just shrugged her shoulders, flipped her hand in Ned’s direction, and said something that sounded like “oh, pooh!”

They finished their breakfast in silence and, as his mother was clearing away their garbage, Ned finally noticed Nancy’s dress.

“My blood?” he asked.

“Afraid so, Nickerson,” said Nancy, “as soon as I get home, it’s for the trash heap.”

“I suppose I owe you a new one,” replied Ned.

“I suppose I owe you my life,” responded Nancy, and reached for his hand.


	11. Chapter 11

“We got him!” exclaimed Chief McGinnis, “we picked up Mr. Rivers on this side of the state line trying to flee Illinois. The photos that Lt. Gamble took during the party clearly show him firing a gun from the window of his vehicle. We were able to identify his car by its license plate number. And we found the weapon under the passenger seat. It's case closed, Nancy!” 

“He confessed?” Bess asked, as Nancy announced the capture of Jasper and the end of the case.

She had invited everyone over to the Drew home to celebrate. Usually when these gatherings occurred, it was with former victims. But this time, when Nancy looked around the room, she was surrounded by those who were particularly close to her. Those that she loved and who had become victims because they were her friends and because of her work as a detective. She didn’t know if she would ever be able to come to terms with this.

“He didn’t confess at first until the police showed him the pictures,” Nancy replied, “and then he crumbled. He admitted to everything. Apparently, his wife was bent on revenge and talked him into the scheme. Delilah was supposed to inherit quite a large sum of money from her uncle, Felix Raybolt. When I exposed him in the theft of the inventor patents, it took nearly all his fortune to pay them back. He was a broken man and Delilah blamed me.”

“Which was ridiculous, of course,” piped up Hannah, who was passing out slices of cake to their visitors.

“But the case was years ago and the Raybolts moved to Kansas,” asked George, “why did it take Delilah so long to seek revenge?”

“Delilah and her husband didn’t realize that Uncle Felix was broke until the reading of his will,” said Mr. Drew, “which was only six months ago.”

“That’s right,” agreed Nancy, “Jasper said she was livid and became obsessed with the idea of hurting me. About three months ago, while visiting a friend, the conversation turned to the topic of ancient forms of torture. One, nicknamed ‘death by a thousand cuts’, once used in Imperial China, really interested Delilah. Falling deeper into insanity, she decided to create a modern version of this by methodically attacking those I love. Each attack was to be more horrific than the one before it.” 

There was a gasp heard around the room and Mr. Drew, taking hold of his daughter’s hand, said, “she really became quite dangerous and needed psychiatric help!” 

There was silence for moment and then Hannah said, “so, am I correct in assuming that it was Jasper who kidnapped me from this house while impersonating a furnace inspector?”

“Yes,” said Nancy, “he still has Togo’s bite marks on his legs to prove it.”

“Good old Togo!” said Hannah, smiling down at the little dog, who lifted his head at the sound of his name. 

“Speaking of Togo,” asked Ned, “how is it that the River’s didn’t know about the dog, seeing that they knew so much else about you.”

“I hadn’t gotten Togo, yet, when I was working on the Raybolt case,” she reminded Ned, “Remember, I didn’t adopt him until he grabbed Mrs. Owen’s handbag.”

Everyone nodded, recalling the incident when the town had gathered in the park to hear the chairwoman of the Federation of Women’s Clubs make a speech only to have the little terrier grab her bag and drop it, with the speech inside, into the middle of the lake.

“Who was it that pushed me down the subway steps?” asked Aunt Eloise. She had come down on the train from New York to spend a few days with her brother and niece.

“That would be Delilah,” answered Nancy, “she took the first train to New York city, waited until you arrived to take the subway to your usual hair appointment, and then gave you a shove. She was able to disappear into the crowd before anyone saw her. She took the next train and was back in River Heights a few hours later.” 

“It was Jasper who cut the brakes lines of George’s car,” continued Nancy, “he was hiding outside of your house, Bess, and overheard you and George discussing your plans to drive to Montclair the following day. He couldn’t know that the brakes would fail as they approached the hairpin curve, but he and Delilah considered that just plain lucky.” As she spoke, Nancy shuddered, remembering the accident that nearly took the lives of her two best friends.

“It was Jasper who was the delivery boy and Delilah who sprinkled the strychnine on my sandwich,” stated Mr. Drew and Nancy nodded.

“The involvement with Ned was supposed to be the most insidious, spanning the entire length of their scheme,” Nancy began again, her voice soft. She looked down at the floor as she spoke. “Delilah would first make friends with Ned, and then flirt with him. She figured that he would fall in love with her and would break up with me. She was counting on Ned eventually asking her to marry him at which time she would reveal that she was already married, getting even with him, as well. Given their track record, I imagine that they would have most likely killed him when he was no longer useful.”

“They certainly would have succeeded in hurting both of us if it had worked,” said Ned, emphatically, “unfortunately for them, Nancy and I are not easily separated.”

“As they found out,” added Mr. Drew. “In the end, the only thing they felt they could do was to kill Nancy. A plan Ned gallantly foiled, and for which I will be eternally in his debt,” he added, looking over at the handsome young man. 

Nancy looked around the room, with tears in her eyes, and said, “I’m so sorry. It’s because of me, and my work as a detective, that you were all attacked. I’m finding it difficult to deal with that fact. I love you all so very much. I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost any of you!”

“You can’t blame yourself for the acts of an insane person!” exclaimed George, “besides, I’ve been knocked around worse than this playing field hockey,” she joked.

Nancy smiled fondly at her, knowing that this was far from the truth.

“And I’m always slipping on those subway steps!” said her Aunt Eloise, “with all the shoving and pushing of the crowds in New York City, I’m surprised I haven’t fallen sooner.”

“I have my own enemies, Nancy,” added her father, “many of whom would have poisoned my sandwich given half the chance.”

“I can’t say that I’ve ever been kidnapped,” chuckled Hannah, “but living here with the Drews has always been an adventure. Besides, I came out of my episode without a scratch.”

“Well, I’m actually better for the experience,” exclaimed Bess, as everyone turned to look at her in surprise. She shrugged her shoulders and added, “between being in the hospital and giving Ned my blood, I’ve gotten over my fear of needles!” she joked and then added, “how does it feel to have some Bess Marvin blood coursing through your veins, Ned Nickerson?”

“Hum,” replied Ned, “can’t really tell any difference except that I have an overwhelming urge for more cake,” and he reached over and slide another piece onto his plate.

Relieved laughter broke out throughout the room and George gave her cousin an affectionate poke. 

An hour later, after the party had broken up and most everyone had departed for home, Eloise Drew gazed out of the front bay window of the Drew home at Nancy and Ned sitting together on the porch swing. Nancy was snuggled up against Ned, her head on his shoulder, and his arm wrapped tightly around her. 

“You ARE going to allow her to marry that wonderful young man, aren’t you Carson?” she said to her brother as he came up behind her and handed her a small glass of Sherry.

“Hum, yes, I believe I will, if they’re still together in two years,” answered Carson Drew, “I should like having Ned as a son-in law. I should like that very much.”

“Oh, I have no doubt that they’ll still be together,” replied his sister, “they’ve been through so much already.”

Nancy and Ned had been gazing up at the stars when Ned broke the silence and said, “that was certainly one of your more exciting cases, Detective Drew!”

“A little too exciting, Mr. Nickerson!” she chuckled, “I don’t want another case like this one, ever again!”

Ned’s eyes grew soft as he looked at her affectionately, “I know what you mean, Nancy. It’s always easier when it’s just you that’s taking the risks and not those you love.”

“Yes,” she replied looking up at him, “and speaking of those I love taking risks, I never properly thanked you for saving my life! How will I ever be able to make it up to you?”

“Oh, I’m fairly certain you’ll find a way,” he chuckled, leaning down for a kiss. 

“Well, one thing is certain,” said Nancy, smiling up at him, and returning his kiss, “this time, at least, love definitely conquered evil!”

 

~~~~ The End ~~~


End file.
